


The One

by extensive_scribe



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Selection Fusion, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Prince Byun Baekhyun, Slow Burn, fluffy fluff, royalty because EXO deserves it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2020-05-15 00:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19284772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extensive_scribe/pseuds/extensive_scribe
Summary: Chanyeol had first agreed to be a part of the Selection for the money - and because his sister wouldn't shut up about how it was a once in a lifetime chance. However, the longer he stays, the more he realizes that he's not in it for the money anymore.





	1. The Beginning

There’s a man named Kim Junmyeon who comes out to greet them by the entrance of the castle when they arrive, attractive face stretching into a warm smile when he sees the four of them. Despite his rather short stature, his aura radiates elegance and professionalism and Chanyeol finds himself already intimidated.

 _This is the capital_ , his brain repeats unhelpfully.  _This is royal territory_.

He shifts on his feet, not used to feeling the ground beneath him after the short plane trip and tries to clear the suffocating feeling around his head. He desperately wants to hold his breath to clear the ringing or massage his ears but he fears that he’ll end up just looking stupid, so he keeps himself from doing anything by having his fingers wrestle each other in nervousness. Next to him, Jongdae just looks slightly awed. Chanyeol shouldn’t be surprised - Jongdae’s from an elite family, after all.

Cold sweat is his worst enemy at the moment and Chanyeol swallows. He shouldn’t be nervous. He’s so sure that he hadn’t been nervous back on the plane, but maybe it’s indigestion. Maybe it’s early signs of homesickness. It’s probably the sight of the enormous, glowing castle ahead of him. It looks too bright in spite of being his future doom.

“Come on in,” Junmyeon says, leading the four of them through the huge gates and into the front gardens. “We have a bit of time left until the opening dinner, so I’m going to take you all to the gallery. It’s filled with beautiful pieces of art, I’m sure you’ll find something interesting.”

Chanyeol doesn’t think anyone else is listening too closely, all of them busy marveling at the sight around them. But he alone focuses on Junmyeon’s words like a lifeline, feeling as if the walls are closing in on him slowly, waiting to suffocate him. Junmyeon’s rambling gives him something else to keep his mind on.

As they pass the gardens and near the castle doors, Chanyeol takes a last, longing look outside, trying to memorize all the details.

He won’t be seeing anything beyond the castle for a while.

Getting inside the palace, Jongdae breaks apart from him, telling him gently that he’ll see Chanyeol in the dining hall and leaving Chanyeol alone in the place with only his thoughts for company. And it’s almost overwhelming. Now that he doesn’t have anything else to focus on, his worries rush over him like torrents, terrifying and all-consuming and clawing up his throat in a way that almost makes him sick.

He’s anxious. About the contest, about how his family will survive without him - the main worker and moneymaker, worried about himself, too. Yoora is married now and has a child on the way soon, and his mother is sick and needs to stay in bed most of the time. They need him now more than ever and yet he's here, in the palace, eating better food than they'll ever taste. Chanyeol forces his breathing to slow and chuckles dryly, reminding himself that if Prince Baekhyun doesn’t find him interesting, he’ll be sent home. At least he’ll have tasted capital palace food.

He sets off into the gallery with Yoora’s hopeful, happy gaze in mind.

The pieces around the gallery are as magnificent as Junmyeon promised. Huge marble structures line the pristine halls, paintings adornings its walls and open windows inviting a fresh breeze with a view of the gardens.

But there’s one framed artwork that sticks out in particular, and getting closer to it, Chanyeol can see the effortless skill of the painter that creates a sophisticated, otherworldly element to the royal family’s faces. He eyes the throne in the painting with more than a little wariness. He imagines what it means to the royals, wonders what it symbolizes to the people. Power? Wealth? Royalty? He leans forward, trying to take a better look at the brush strokes and color detailing when there’s a sudden voice by his ear.

“Hello there.”

Jumping, he clutches his frantic heart and whips around, half a scream crawling up his throat but lodging there as a soundless gasp instead when he realizes who it is. Soft eyes greet him, lined with subtle eyeshadow and shampoo commercial-worthy hair bouncing along with his movements. Chanyeol finds himself almost entranced.

 _Prince Baekhyun_ , something in the corner of his mind supplies rather blankly, another part adding -  _he’s so pretty_. He gapes openly at the prince, eyes too wide to blink reflexively.

Baekhyun tilts his head at Chanyeol’s lack of response and smiles slightly. “Park Chanyeol-ssi, I believe? Enjoying the gallery?”

Chanyeol jerks and stammers on his words, body bending into a deep bow as soon as he has enough control over his muscles. “Your Highness,” he stammers, “it’s an honor.” But Baekhyun’s smile has disappeared when he looks back up, lips pressed into a line that borders on a frown - probably at his disrespect, or maybe his tone?

Chanyeol almost curses out loud. It’s been two minutes and he’s already screwed up any chance of sticking around long enough to do anything here. He’s sure he’ll be one of the first contestants released from the competition. He looks down immediately, biting his lip to hide a wince.

“Do I scare you?” Baekhyun asks softly after a moment. The question startles Chanyeol into staring up at the prince’s face, but his expression is unreadable.

“What?”

Gentle eyes pass over Chanyeol before resting on one of the smaller painting pieces leaning by the wall, almost completely obscured from sight by a small pillar holding up another marble headpiece. Chanyeol’s breath catches when he sees what’s depicted.

There are laugh lines on Prince Baekhyun and his brothers’ faces, eldest Prince Baekbeom holding onto Baekhyun who in turn is pressing his smiling lips to youngest Prince Sehun’s hair. They look so carefree and happy and Chanyeol blinks, wondering if he’d been too harsh on his judgements of the royal family. This definitely isn’t what he’d expected of the three princes.

“Nevermind,” Baekhyun says, a soft exhale leaving his lips, and Chanyeol thinks he hears a note of disappointment. He brushes it off as Baekhyun turns to him and smiles. “I apologize, this was unprofessional of me. Come along, I think we have a dinner to get to.”

Almost all the heads in the room turn when Baekhyun pushes open the doors to the dining hall, seven or eight of them glaring holes into Chanyeol as they take in that he’d come with the prince. They snap back to Baekhyun, though, when the ever charismatic prince claps his hands with a brilliant smile and draws everyone’s attention to himself.

“Now, I know there was a slight delay,” Baekhyun says, “but the food is still hot and delicious and I know you've all had long days traveling here. Eat, and then get a good night's rest. Tomorrow will be a recreational day to give you all a chance to recuperate and prepare for the long weeks ahead, and the only official schedule will be short private conversations with me. I hope you all enjoy the food my chef worked on for your welcome dinner.”

Another smile, and Baekhyun bows his head a fraction before sliding into his seat at the head of the table.

It's only after Baekhyun is fully seated that Chanyeol finds his way to an empty chair, conveniently placed between one of the Chinese male competitors and a young girl, seemingly also Korean. He rues his height and size not for the first time in his life as he tries to sink in on himself, and Jongdae gives him sympathetic smiles from across the table.

The food is, as Baekhyun said, delicious. It’s not like anything he’s ever tasted before - if he thought the airplane food was heavenly, this is just an otherworldly experience. He just barely manages to keep himself from devouring everything all at once, remembering Yoora’s last-minute lessons of etiquette and respectful behavior.

He doesn't, however, manage to stop stealing glances at Baekhyun whenever he can. Some of the girls are at the front chatting with Baekhyun amicably - the same ones Chanyeol would bet pushed and shoved their way discreetly to get the seats closest to Baekhyun’s.

It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, knowing that these ruthless people are the ones he'll have to fight however long he's here. All for a position he has practically zero interest in.

He scoffs at himself as he sporks a piece of seasoned galbi into his mouth and chews rhythmically, wondering why he’s so bothered over a few girls. And then his thought. Actually working for the title of future prince and king hadn’t been something Chanyeol had even humored the idea of, but he pushes it to the back of his mind. It feels like he’s talking as if he’s going to try.

 

 

 

He’s never wanted the country. He’s never wanted the crown. He’s never wanted the prince, either. But now he's one of thirty - fifteen girls, fifteen boys, all sticking their necks out in a competition to win over the crown prince and become his future partner in leading the country.

Chanyeol really just wants to go home.


	2. Chapter 2

According to Junmyeon, the rest of the evening is theirs to enjoy. Also according to Junmyeon, they have to choose their own roommates. It brings two very different reactions from everyone. The girls go off giggling in small groups to their shared rooms while the guys linger awkwardly, bumbling around to ask timidly for whoever might be willing to share a room with them. Somehow, the huge Chinese contestant Chanyeol had sat next to at dinner - Wu Yifan, he thinks - manages to cajole a more bratty looking one into sharing a room, telling him he’ll have to choose a roommate eventually anyway.

Chanyeol makes a beeline for Jongdae who meets with him halfway, laughing as they go up to Junmyeon to get their keys.

“Oh god, their faces,” Jongdae whispers, hiding his laughter under his breath when they’ve gotten their room numbers and Junmyeon is calling a guard over to lead the way through the maze of the castle, “they look so lost.”

They do look very lost. Most of them haven’t talked to each other on their ways here, and it’s understandable that they’d feel awkward asking a stranger to share a room. The last thing he sees before the guard leads them to the huge staircase outside the hall is a group of the boys doing rock paper scissors.

While they walk, Chanyeol listens to Jongdae talk about the introductions he’d missed during the beginning of dinner, finds that Prince Sehun was originally supposed to be with them as well for the opening night but was unable to because he was in bed with a sick bout. He also finds that the first elimination process is due at the end of the week.

That’s faster than he’d expected.

He can guess somewhat the thought process behind this - despite the Selection being at an average six months long, it’s still a rather short amount of time considering that the prince has to choose someone he’ll _marry_. It means that the definite non-matches will probably be sent off sooner so the contestants with more potential will be able to spend more time with the prince. Something so life-changing should not be done using people in what basically translates to a real-life dating game, in Chanyeol’s opinion, but he gets that this is probably Baekhyun’s only real chance at finding someone from the outside to have a relationship with.

The walk to their room is longer than Chanyeol had expected, and the halls are still indistinguishable to him as he and Jongdae blindly follow the guard that had been assigned to them. But at one point, they come to a stop, in front of a wide, big door.

The room is breathtaking.

A chandelier hangs from the ceiling, housing what feels like hundreds of fake candles that glitter down at them, different ornamental lamps around the walls that add to the lighting. White polished desks sit right at the foot of their beds, big and simple on adjacent corners of the room with windows on either side. A huge floor-to-ceiling window sits smack in the middle that leads to a balcony outside, giving them a breathtaking view of the sunset peaking beyond Korea’s famous mountains.

It’s far bigger than Chanyeol had expected, but then again, what else should he have expected from the royal palace?

Soon after they’re set in their room, Jongdae begins unpacking, their belongings somehow already inside. He doesn’t have much, which surprises Chanyeol, seeing as Jongdae is an elite and probably has countless things in his possession, but he’s finding that more and more things about Jongdae are surprising him, not at all the snobby elite that he’d envisioned all of them to be.

Chanyeol, meanwhile, had brought nothing except a small bag with a few pictures of his family and songs he’d been working on back home. They’re supposed to be catered to by stylists when they’re here, rendering his already cheap, tasteless clothes even more useless. And as one of the lower-income families, Chanyeol hardly had anything he really needed that wouldn’t already be here for him. He’d wanted to bring his guitar - the only item that he really cherished, but apparently, any instruments he wanted would also be provided for. He wonders if the palace has a grand piano, wonders how it would feel to run his fingers over the full set of keys. He'd only ever seen a grand piano once before, when he'd gone to a higher class family and cleaned their house for them.

Eventually, he excuses himself to take a walk.

In hindsight, he really shouldn’t have done that when he has no idea how to navigate the palace. But he’d been too prideful to ask the guard tailing him at a distance for help when he first realized he was hopelessly lost, so instead he’s stuck wandering aimlessly and pretending he has a clue where he’s going. He’s just about to give up and turn to the guard to take him back when a familiar, surprised voice calls his name.

“Chanyeol-ssi?”

He whirls around and sees Baekhyun there, just as pretty and gracefully ethereal as before, eyes blinking at him in confusion. Behind him, a tall, lean figure stands hidden by the shadows, most likely Baekhyun’s personal bodyguard.

Chanyeol has no idea how he’s running into the prince for the second time in the span of maybe three hours in such a gigantic palace, but he attributes it all to his bad luck and gulps, wondering if he’s in trouble and hating that Baekhyun’s face is still so unreadable as he takes soft, slow steps towards him. There’s something in his gaze, maybe hesitance, maybe something else, Chanyeol doesn’t know. “I thought all the contestants were supposed to be in their rooms by now.” He looks over Chanyeol’s shoulder to the guard. “Aren’t they, Jinki?”

The guard - Jinki - bows his head to Baekhyun in a short motion. “I believe they were supposed to be in by nine, prince, Chanyeol-ssi still has around an hour left until he has to return.”

Baekhyun smiles warmly at the guard. “Thank you.” Then, he turns to Chanyeol, smile fading slightly. “Would you mind coming with me for a while?”

His tone is gentle, patient, and Chanyeol knows that while he could potentially refuse and not anger him too much, it would probably make him look terribly rude - just what’s expected of someone from as far down the economic and social ladder as him. He grits his teeth through the thought and hopes it doesn’t show as he nods, but Baekhyun’s amused twitch of lips tells him that he’s just as transparent as he feels.

“Come along, then, let’s go to the gardens.”

 _There are gardens this high up the palace?_ Chanyeol hurries after Baekhyun and bites back the questions on his tongue, the questions he wishes someone would answer. Why he’s here, how he was even chosen in the first place, what he’s supposed to be doing. Everyone else looks so composed and collected, Chanyeol feels like the lone outcast among them.

Leading him through a pattern of twists and turns, the opening Baekhyun stops at is a wide, open area, a miniature park within the castle. With a wave of Baekhyun’s hand, both Jinki and Baekhyun’s personal guard stick outside, beyond the glass doors so they can enter alone.

The ceiling is glass, so clear that he can count every star as he stares up. Moonlight shines silver through the panels and makes the flowers around them glow softly, giving them an otherworldly feel. Beneath his feet lay dirt and grass, far more familiar and comforting than the polished marble walls of the castle, the walls that he’d felt so suffocated in since the moment he got here. He inhales the air, fresh with the plants surrounding them, a breeze coming in from the huge windows at the end, and feels his shoulders relax slightly, his breaths evening out.

“Are you more at ease here?” Baekhyun asks, and Chanyeol blinks at him. He’d forgotten that Baekhyun was there, and yet he hadn’t been startled when he spoke. Was it because of the prince’s naturally calming aura? Baekhyun smiles a little when Chanyeol nods.

“I’m glad. You seemed very stiff before, when we met and at dinner. I wasn’t sure how to make you relax.”

Chanyeol opens his mouth but falters. A part of him is still so confused, the thoughts leftover from home plaguing his conscious. He wants to go home. He needs to stay with his mother and see to her, take care of her. But at the same time, the main reason he’d agreed to come here in the first place was for the contestant money. Just by staying here, he can send more money back to his family in a month than he would normally be able to earn in more than twice the amount of time.

“Why are you doing this?” He asks at last.

The Selection is a rather last-ditch attempt at finding a partner for the princes and princesses of Korea. Granted, Baekhyun is the prince of the first district, which means he does have considerably more authoritative power than the others and therefore needs a better, carefully considered ruler by his side so as to not mess up, but none of the other districts’ royal families had used a Selection in the past three decades.

Baekhyun seems surprised at the question. “What? The Selection?”

Chanyeol nods. “I just don’t understand,” he says, frustrated. He turns away from Baekhyun and stares somewhere towards the far end of the garden, where the trees are. “You’re a prince. You have international connections. You could meet people, if you wanted. But instead you’re doing this.”

“Do you,” Baekhyun pauses. “Do you not wish to be here?”

“I came here by mistake,” Chanyeol says, tone bitter as he runs a hand through his hair. The prince doesn’t deserve this. He’s been nothing but completely understanding and thoughtful towards Chanyeol, but he can’t help it. He has nothing here in this castle, no one who can understand his situation and help him through it. He feels so alone, so caged, so miserable. “I wasn’t even supposed to be selected, but I was and now I’m in the middle of people who would hurt each other to get a chance with you but I didn’t even come here for you or the crown and I _hate_ this,” he manages, rubbing over his eyes as if that would let up the tears that had sprung up.

But Baekhyun is still so impossibly gentle. He soothes over Chanyeol’s arm with a hand, soft skin cooling to Chanyeol’s burning skin and Chanyeol breathes out shakily, breathes in deeply, feels marginally better. “Chanyeol,” Baekhyun murmurs, ‘Would you like me to send you home? I can do that for you, if you’d truly like.”

Chanyeol looks into his eyes, infinitely sincere and warm, and huffs out a laugh, filled with resentment towards himself. The prince is so thoughtful, so gentle, yet he's here complaining about the Selection when he's the one that applied. What must he look like? A stubborn child refusing to accept his situation? He runs a hand down his face. “Do you know my background?” He asks Baekhyun, smiling warily when the prince nods. “Can you imagine why I need to be here?”

“It’s perfectly fine that you’re here for reasons other than myself,” Baekhyun tells him. Chanyeol listens for any judgement in his tone, looks for a lie in his expression, and sees none. “As you said before, there are plenty of contestants who came just for the promise of a crown. A country to lead. Power. Money is hardly the worst thing to look for here.”

“How are you still so nice?” Chanyeol mutters. “I’ve basically told you to your face that I’m here to deceive you for money and you’re still so…”

Laughing quietly, Baekhyun moves away now that Chanyeol has calmed down. “You’re not deceiving me anymore, though, since you’ve told me.”

Chanyeol frowns at the logic but can’t say anything else about it as Jinki knocks on the glass from outside, probably a warning that they’re running out of time.

“I can let you come here more often,” Baekhyun says, quiet and soft, “You will probably need to keep Jinki with you, but you could come out at night undisturbed.”

Chanyeol’s breath catches. “Really?”

“Given you won't get helplessly lost again.”

So Baekhyun had seen right through him. Chanyeol shoots a glare at Baekhyun and earns a laugh in return.

 

  
“You talked with Prince Baekhyun earlier?” Jongdae asks, eyes wide. “Wow, I guess you have a good head start.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes and plops down on his bed, taken aback for a moment at how springy and soft the mattress is. He debates telling Jongdae that he’d basically screamed at the prince’s face for something that isn’t even Baekhyun’s fault, cringing when he recalls his own words. Why had he been so dramatic? He ultimately decides against it with a sigh. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing.”

Jongdae waves him off with a laugh. “Look, big guy, you might not be jumping at private interactions with the prince but there are people here who would kill for the chance.”

Chanyeol muffles a loud, wrangled noise into his bed, but he can’t help the small smile that grows on his face when Jongdae breaks into peals of laughter again, the sound bright and comfortable in the foreign walls of the palace.

Jongdae is so easy to talk to, defying all of Chanyeol’s expectations regarding the elite families. He seems pleased whenever Chanyeol speaks up first, soft features glowing with happiness and brightness and he’s just so kind.

“I’m glad you’re my roommate,” Chanyeol says sometime in the middle of the night, staring up at the ceiling above him.

“Me too,” Jongdae responds, shuffling sounds audible where he's laying in his own bed. “To be honest, some of the elites here scare me.”

“Aren’t you an elite too?”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t say some of them are assholes.”

Chanyeol laughs, unbidden. He’ll definitely be shipped out after this week with the first batch. Until then, Jongdae and the food will give him enough good memories to spread around once he’s back home, and maybe he’ll talk to Yoora about Baekhyun’s warmth and understanding and fantasize that he might find someone like that for him one day.

 

  
Servants are common in the castle, but Chanyeol hadn’t expected to have some of his own. A total of six men walk into his and Jongdae’s room in the morning, three going to Jongdae’s side of the room and three coming to Chanyeol to try rousing them both.

“We’re like, your personal stylists,” one of them says when Chanyeol manages to blink his bleary eyes open, a giddy little tone in his voice. He’s fidgeting, seeming excited. At least someone is. Across the room, he hears Jongdae ask kindly for their names and barely pulls his thoughts and voice together enough to do the same.

Doyoung, Mark, and Jaemin, the one that had just spoken. Lovely. He hopes he doesn’t mix them up. They’re all young and attractive, and Chanyeol can’t imagine them being much younger than him. Doyoung has a sharp and attentive gaze, Mark is more cute than anything with his wide eyes, and Jaemin is very pretty, smile curling his lips up almost flirtatiously.

“We need to get you ready for breakfast and your meeting later with the prince,” Doyoung says as Mark leads Chanyeol to the desk below his bed, sitting him down. “We’ll be doing your makeup and hair, and Jaemin’s going to go pick out an outfit for you. Do you have any preferences?”

Chanyeol is still half-asleep and not ready, at all, to start the day. He looks in the mirror and sees the puffy residues of his crying, knows by Mark’s flinch that it’s clear and visible. He sighs.

“Nothing too extravagant?” His voice is raspy too, worse because of the tears he’d choked into his throat in the middle of the night to keep from waking Jongdae. God this entire thing is falling to pieces. “I don’t want to seem like someone I’m not.”

Something glitters in Doyoung’s eyes when he starts Chanyeol’s makeup, like he knows a secret Chanyeol doesn’t.

In the end, he ends up with black dress pants and a flowy, loose white shirt, the first few buttons left undone to expose his collar and sleeves rolled up until right below his elbows for a casual look. Makeup had covered any redness or swelling in his face, and Mark had touched his eyes and lips with faint eyeshadow and a naturally shaded lip tint that gave color to his appearance, making him seem actually alive and honestly, that itself is a win. At Jaemin’s insistence after finding that Chanyeol had one of his ears pierced - a small emerald earring was placed into his left ear and a necklace with the same jewel was brought around his neck, tying the green together. Doyoung smiles in satisfaction when they’re done.

“This look is a marvel,” he says, eyes shimmering with pride, and Chanyeol looks in the mirror and doesn’t recognize himself.

It’s him but it’s not - _him_. He looks like he might actually belong in this palace, elegant yet simple. It feels surreal what a little makeup and good styling can do, and he turns back to the three in surprise.

“Thank you,” he breathes, “how - you’re magical.”

Mark blushes at the praise, and Jaemin beams. “It’s our jobs,” he says happily. “I’m glad you like it, it’s a rather simple outfit.”

Chanyeol stands and smiles at them, feeling so much better and lighter than when he’d waken. “No, this is amazing. Thank you so much. I love it.”

Turning, he looks to see what treatment Jongdae is getting and also stares in shock. His stylists had accentuated his cheekbones and unfairly perfect brows and eyes, bringing them out with soft highlights and a subtle glimmer. His black jeans are fitted but not too tight, paired with a low neck navy blue shirt, gold necklace hanging over his collarbones. Jongdae looks… regal. Even more so than usual.

“You look amazing,” Jongdae says in awe as he looks at Chanyeol, and Chanyeol laughs.

“As if you don’t.”

“Our stylists are just that good, huh,” Jongdae says, winking, and his own stylists laugh at him endearingly. It’s clear that they’re just as adored with Jongdae, eyes practically moons as they swoon over him and Chanyeol grins.

A moment later though, Jinki pops his head in the door, smiling at them. “I’m glad you’re all getting along, but you need to head to breakfast now. Junmyeon’s waiting.”

 

  
The day passes slowly.

There’s a waiting room that all of them use together, girls and boys, with dressing stands towards the end where the bathrooms are. Apparently, it’s for makeup and preparations later in the competition when they will have to present themselves for different evaluations tests. Chanyeol has no idea what those tests will entail, but Jongdae tells him not to worry and instead takes way too much time playing with Chanyeol’s gelled back hair, to the point where most of it is coming loose into softer strands. He hopes it doesn’t look too messy.

While he watches each of them get called up one by one, Chanyeol finally takes a good look at the contestants. There’s not much of a need for it, really; Jongdae had forced him to memorize all their names and faces with him last night, telling Chanyeol that possibly the worst thing he could do was mess up a bratty elite’s name and get a vendetta set against himself. But he’d been too nervous to look at anyone’s faces yesterday, and his anxiousness had unexpectedly disappeared in the morning - probably because he messed up to a point of no return. He’d actually be surprised if his talk with Baekhyun didn’t end up being a polite dismissal.

They’re all beautiful.

It’s to be expected, as the prince’s potential suitors, but it’s still jarring. All contestants regardless of gender vary in height and features, all captivating in their own way, a few sticking out to Chanyeol in particular.

There’s the girl in red who he remembers as Bae Joohyun, a high elite, who looks gentle and almost unbelievably beautiful, an air about her that nearly reminds Chanyeol of Baekhyun’s. She is similarly calming and elegant, yet open as well. There are two others who she seems to be acquainted with, Kim Yerim and Park Sooyoung, both also breathtaking as they laugh with her about something. Wu Yifan is probably the tallest of them all, even taller than Chanyeol, and he’s sticking with the guy that he’d gotten to sharing a room with, another Chinese contestant named Huang Zitao who still has a sour, annoyed look on his face. Across the room, another girl named Lee Minyoung has a comparable haughty expression as she taps her cheeks with powder, wearing a deep blue gown that flatters her slim figure. Chanyeol thinks she’s the one Jongdae had told him is a high-end model.

By the time Chanyeol is called, it’s long into the afternoon. The girls around him had all been giggling through the hours, talking about how sweet and charming the prince is, how kind and thoughtful he’d been with them. The guys had been more quiet about their interactions, but it’s clear that Baekhyun had also made them more comfortable in the palace, their postures far more relaxed than before.

He’d rolled his eyes as he left the waiting room and headed towards the outer gardens where he’d been told to go.

Baekhyun looks up to his arrival when the door swings closed behind Chanyeol, eyes widening for a moment before he smiles. “You know, this entire day I had to deal with nervous chitchat,” Baekhyun says. “It’s actually quite refreshing that you seem so unexcited.”

“I probably got over my nerves yesterday,” Chanyeol replies, sitting near him on the ledge of the rose bushes. He’s still half convinced that his talk with Baekhyun will just be an official, private notice that Chanyeol will be kicked out with the first batch. “Already made a bad first impression, and then a worse second impression, so there’s nothing else to be afraid of, right?”

Baekhyun laughs. “That was hardly the worst reaction someone had to me. You haven’t been here long enough, but later you’ll get to hear about all the legendary stories in this place.”

With the castle’s huge walls and innumerable inhabitants, Chanyeol is sure that there are many tales here, but Baekhyun is speaking as if Chanyeol will stay long enough to hear of them. Baekhyun doesn’t let him linger on the train of thought though, as he hops off the ledge and extends a hand to Chanyeol. “Come on,” he says when Chanyeol stares at him in confusion. "Let’s take a walk.”

So he isn’t just going to announce Chanyeol’s dismissal. Chanyeol takes the hand after a moment, letting Baekhyun pull him up.

“I was just wondering if you were alright,” Baekhyun says softly as they start walking, into the arches of the palace and going back out in a roundabout path. Chanyeol isn’t sure where they’re going, but Baekhyun seems content enough following the brick walkways through the wilder, less tamed parts of his garden, vines reaching upwards to cage in the glass dome, flowers in no particular pattern. It’s not nearly as well groomed and carefully shaped the way the front meadows are, but it’s beautiful all the same. “You seemed very shaken yesterday - which I understand, of course. I should have known beforehand that some people would not be comfortable here.”

Chanyeol really wants to hide himself. “I’m really sorry about that,” he mumbles, “I was stressed and I wasn’t thinking straight and I let it out on you even though this isn’t your fault.”

"What?" Baekhyun laughs, and it's surprising to see, how carefree he looks when his cheeks puff up with the smile and his eyes turn into crescents. "It's fine, Chanyeol. If anything I'm surprised not many others have had similar… outbursts. The castle is an intimidating place, and none of you are used to this, no matter how high up the ladder you might be. Actually," Baekhyun looks up at him, contemplative, “I’m glad you were more honest. Even if you regret it now. I want to make all of you comfortable here, and the only way I can know how to do so is if you tell me. This castle should not feel like a prison.”

Oh shit, this guy is too nice. Chanyeol feels all the bravado he’d had back at home wash away, all the declarations he’d made to Yoora that _no, he isn’t going to turn into some teenage girl who drools over Baekhyun’s beauty_ , disappear as his interactions with the prince from the past two days make him realize - Baekhyun is much more than his elegance and breathtaking face. He is kind. And thoughtful. And understanding.

Eventually they stop, and Baekhyun sits on the brick corner next to a small tree. Chanyeol takes a seat on the wooden bench rubs the back of his neck for something to do, watching a bubbling brook run through the other corner of the garden.

“I wanted to ask something of you,” Baekhyun says softly. Chanyeol turns to him at the words but loses his train of thought as he takes in how _alone_ Baekhyun looks in the soft glow of the evening sun, eyes tired as he hugs a knee to his chest. Suddenly, he feels less like a prince and more like a lost child. “I believe it’s a simple request, but,” Baekhyun chuckles lightly, “I suppose you might think otherwise.”

Chanyeol stares at Baekhyun dumbly. “What?”

What could the prince possibly have to request from someone like him? He has literally nothing. No money, no land, no valuable possessions, nothing that could be of any worth to a prince.

“Friendship,” Baekhyun says, interrupting Chanyeol's thoughts and sending him into shocked silence. There's an amused curl to his lips that make Chanyeol wonder if Baekhyun can read his mind. “That's all I ask, really. Even just a cordial understanding would be great.”

Chanyeol gapes at the man in front of him. The prince wants - friendship. With Chanyeol. Who, whether consciously or not, has surely insulted the prince enough times during five minutes of yesterday night's fiasco alone to warrant getting kicked out.

“Why,” Baekhyun asks when he doesn't answer, smile curling more prettily, voice clearly teasing. “Are you questioning my choices?”

Eyes blinking rapidly, Chanyeol forces himself to close his mouth and collect his thoughts before opening it again. “Friendship.” He’s dubious. “Surely a prince has at least a few people to call friends by his side?”

“You’d be surprised,” Baekhyun says, and Chanyeol’s taken aback at how honest he sounds. “I can count on one hand the people I truly rely on. Besides,” his smile turns bittersweet, “being a prince also means being surrounded by power-hungry individuals all the time, my entire life.”

The words strike a chord in Chanyeol and he has to keep himself from pitying the prince, knowing firsthand how terrible it feels to be pitied and also knowing that anyone is able to tell when they’re on the receiving end. If anything, he’s at least sure that whatever negative image he’d had of Baekhyun just a week ago is almost completely gone.

Chanyeol nods hesitantly after a moment. It's the least he can do for the prince when all he's done is make Baekhyun feel bad. “Okay. Friends?”

Baekhyun brightens as he smiles.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alskjdfsl
> 
> So far, I don't have a consistent schedule in mind - please bear with me, as this is my first long chaptered fic on this site. However, summer break is a godsend and is letting me spit out so many more words than usual, and hopefully I'll be able to get more of this done.
> 
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

“You do know that the first elimination is in three days, right?” Jongdae asks, and though he tries to hide it, his voice is riddled with nerves. Chanyeol opens his mouth, then closes it. There’s honestly not much he can do to help Jongdae feel better. Jongdae is kind and smart and he’ll probably last a long time, but he still seems worried about the results. Chanyeol’s about to try comforting him anyway when there are voices outside the door, one frantic and the other mildly exasperated as two figures stumble into the room.

“Sehun-ah, please, if you get sick again -”

“Will you relax, hyung, it was the flu stop acting like I almost died -”

Prince Sehun. And Prince Baekhyun. The entire room is staring at them, watching the brothers in utter silence as Baekhyun tries to get Sehun to go back to bed and rest, apparently, and Sehun shakes him off in an annoyed tone.

There must be something about royals that just makes them different, Chanyeol thinks, looking at the two of them arguing as if they don’t have a room full of contestants observing their back and forth. Sehun is wearing a simple beige sweater over a white button-up with cream-colored dress pants, yet he looks so classy, long limbs stretching out in the fabric. His angular face is as handsome as every magazine portrays him as, but there are details that come into view when he’s up close, the softness of his eyes even as he shoots an irritated glare at Baekhyun, crossing his arms with what looks like a pout and showing off his tall, lean body without really trying.

Baekhyun himself is also in a rather underwhelming outfit today, black jeans with a white collared shirt under a patterned, color block sweater of blues and tans. There’s less makeup on his face, too, just enough to bring out his dewy cheeks and the soft gentility lying beneath all his features. His mouth droops into a frown when Sehun rolls his eyes at him.

It should be impossible, but their untouchable aura remains, despite their current behavior. Chanyeol almost laughs. Finally, Sehun seems to win whatever argument they’re having, a victorious gleam in his eyes while Baekhyun sighs, but he isn’t able to hide a fond twitch of his lips.

“I apologize for our rather… unsightly entrance,” Baekhyun says, reaching for Sehun’s elbow to keep him in place. The girls in the back giggle at the two of them, and Chanyeol thinks he sees even Yifan wearing a small smile. “This is my baby brother, Sehun.”

“Hyung, I’m _twenty-two_ -”

Chanyeol watches Baekhyun’s eyes sparkle at how obviously Sehun is put-off by Baekhyun’s words, shining in amusement and such pure adoration that Chanyeol is almost reminded of himself and Yoora. But the happy mood is broken in less than a second when Sehun says something to Baekhyun and sighs, rubbing a hand over his eyes and turning to face them. It’s a sign, of sorts, a language he and Baekhyun speak to each other without needing direct words. Baekhyun’s face turns into a mask of politeness and Chanyeol stiffens unconsciously at the change.

“Hello, contestants,” Sehun says. The pouty whining from before is completely gone, soft voice overlaying a harder tone beneath it. He allows a small smile when everyone echoes back a _hello, your highness_. “As I’m sure you all know, the first elimination process is in exactly three days.”

The air of the room chills. Jongdae’s hand finds Chanyeol’s and Chanyeol spares him a reassuring smile, squeezing back slightly.

“Now, the rest of the eliminations will not be happening nearly as quickly. I hope you have all read the rules well, but the remaining dismissals will be happening in a consecutively increasing number of weeks, the next following this one in two. This gradual process will help my brother get closer to all of you and give him more time with everyone the closer we get to the actual Selection. If needed, this competition will be shortened or lengthened to his will and during that time you will get to know all of us, the entire royal family, as well as interact with princes of other districts and countries.” Sehun’s eyes turn cold. “Your first meetings with me are scheduled until the end of tomorrow.”

When everyone stays silent, Sehun’s lips twitch for just a moment. “I know all of you have not been able to contact your families yet, so you should write letters to them. They will be delivered within the day.”

With that, Sehun pulls Baekhyun into him, murmuring something inaudible into his ear before pressing a soft kiss to Baekhyun’s hair and leaving the room. Baekhyun stares after Sehun’s disappearing form with a small wince but runs a hand through his hair and turns to face them once he’s schooled his expression. For the briefest second, his gaze meets Chanyeol’s, and his lips stretch into a faint smile.

“Forgive my brother,” Baekhyun says softly. “He isn’t feeling very well but insisted on meeting all of you regardless. I promise he’s far more kind in person.”

Chanyeol thinks Sehun’s intensity comes more from protectiveness for Baekhyun, but he keeps silent. Baekhyun passes around small notes telling them where and when they should meet Sehun, and Chanyeol realizes that he’s probably the last one Sehun will meet, seeing as his paper designates a spot in the garden Baekhyun had brought him to at around eight in the evening tomorrow. Great. He has to try looking better than twenty-nine other contestants.

The soft murmurs that had been rising after Sehun’s departure grow in volume until Baekhyun claps his hands, getting all of them to look back at him.

“Please don’t be too nervous,” Baekhyun says kindly. “My brother is rather sensitive, but he wishes the best for all of you. Now, you should get to writing those letters.”

 

Chanyeol isn’t sure what to write. He’s never been good at letters, never had to write one in the first place, but now that this is the only source of communication he has between his family, he feels like he has to give them something, let them know he’s alright without divulging into the embarrassing details of his meetings with the prince. Eventually, he ends up talking more about Jongdae and the food.

  
_Dear Mother, Yoora, Taeho,_

_To whoever reads this first, I miss you all so much. The palace is a little too big and unfamiliar, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. We have a roommate for the first week before the eliminations, and mine is Kim Jongdae. You’ve heard of him, I’m sure - younger son of the biggest technology company in Korea. He’s nothing I imagined of an elite, he’s so gracious and kind, but he speaks his mind and I think he’s the closest friend I have here. He also has one of the brightest smiles in the world._

_To Yoora, who I’m sure is wondering about the prince - Prince Baekhyun is kind and thoughtful. I may have insulted him by accident on our first meeting, but he was accepting of me regardless. I’m sure he has so much on his shoulders at the moment, but he seems so loved by the people, both in and out of his castle, and it’s clear to see why now that I know him a little personally. We actually met his younger brother as well, Prince Sehun, and he’s very obviously so protective of his brother. He scared most of the contestants today with just a few words._

_To Taeho, I feel bad asking this of you, but please take care of Yoora and mother. I know your marriage with Yoora was not long ago, and I feel terrible being away when you all need me. I’m sorry._

_The capital palace food is wonderful. I still don’t think I’m used to it. If I end up coming home anytime soon, this is enough to send me back with good memories._

_I love you all. I miss you all, too._

_Please, stay safe. I love you,_   
_Chanyeol._

  
It’s only after he’s done and sealed his envelope that he turns, ready to ask Jongdae about his own letter, but Jongdae is uncharacteristically quiet, looking down at his envelope with a pained little frown.

Chanyeol closes his mouth. Family circumstances for everyone are always different, and he recognizes the look in Jongdae’s eyes, knows that it’s none of his business. At least not as long as Jongdae doesn’t bring it up first. They go up together at Jinki's call a little later, and Chanyeol smoothes a hand down Jongdae’s shoulder, offering a small smile. Jongdae smiles back but it looks forced, strained.

Right before Jongdae leaves for his meeting with Sehun, Chanyeol makes funny faces behind him as his stylists do their magic, and it’s after five minutes that Jongdae finally bursts into small peals of laughter.

“That’s it,” Chanyeol smiles. “You look better when you’re smiling.”

While Jongdae is gone, Chanyeol busies himself by staring at the music sheets he’d brought with him. They’re part of his only belongings, but they’re precious, each of the songs he’d written being from a time in his life where he’d thought everything was going the wrong way. He spends so much time staring at them, absorbed in the notes and lyrics that he doesn’t notice the knocks on his door, only looks up when Doyoung calls out his name.

“They got a letter back from your family, Chanyeol-ssi,” Doyoung says, handing him a little parcel.

“I thought I told you to just call me Chanyeol,” Chanyeol tells him, but he’s distracted by the small brown envelope, already taking apart the string holding the wrapper together. Doyoung frowns, sighs that it’s appropriate, and Chanyeol rolls his eyes, smiling up at Doyoung. “Thank you.”

In the envelope, there’s a card addressed to Chanyeol, the handwriting so clearly Yoora’s. He almost tears up at the sight, and he forces himself to swallow the emotions back into his throat.

The letter is a mixture of Yoora, Taeho, and his mom. All of them are telling him how handsome and tall he’d looked in the airport previews of the Selected, how their entire town is rooting for him and hoping he’ll win.

He winces a little at their excitement, wondering how they’d react if they knew that he’d blamed the prince for a Selection that Chanyeol was the one that signed up for, if they knew that he’d admitted straight to Baekhyun that he wasn’t there for him. All the people that he’d greeted and talked to at the airport were fans of his, already voting for him despite having no idea what his intentions are. Knowing he’ll let them all down brings a twist to his chest that he didn’t expect.

They don’t talk much when Jongdae comes back, but Jongdae has the most amused little grin on his lips, which makes Chanyeol terribly confused. Throughout the duration of their meal, Jongdae keeps bringing his head down, hiding his laughter in coughs or subtle wipes of his mouth on a napkin. Sehun, too, looks over to Jongdae a few times, the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. Chanyeol is practically dying to ask Jongdae about it, but he manages to wait until after dinner is over and Baekhyun tells them that they’re dismissed.

“I take it your meeting went well?” Chanyeol asks.

“He’s just,” Jongdae waves his hands around, shoulders shaking. “He’s so protective of Baekhyun it’s so adorable.”

Well that much Chanyeol figured, just from this morning. But Jongdae seems so amused, and even - endeared, if he could call it that. There’s a tender sort of light in his eyes that Chanyeol hasn’t seen before and wonders just what Sehun was like to make Jongdae this soft.

He supposes he’ll find out tomorrow.

 

  
Jaemin is chatty, and Chanyeol appreciates that. A lot.

With only a week before the first eliminations, their closets had been filled with slightly personalized, but mostly simple and similar clothes. It makes sense - they wouldn’t want to waste so much money for clothes for a contestant who will be gone in a few days, especially for the girls who need more intricate designs and dresses. Chanyeol watches with a slight smile as Jaemin teases Mark about something and makes him fluster adorably. It’s helping him take his mind off more important things.

“Look,” Jaemin says, “we’re going to dress you up so well that even Prince Sehun will be speechless.”

Chanyeol really likes the three of them. Doyoung warns Jaemin all the time that he’s talking too loudly, that if Chanyeol doesn’t tire of him first Jongdae will, and Chanyeol has to laugh and assure him that it’s fine, that he prefers this. Mark is still shy around him, but he’d loosened up over the past few days, answering his questions with a flushed, but pleased little smile.

He sends a smile back at Jaemin through the mirror, careful not to move his head as Mark styles his hair. “Yeah? What am I wearing today that’s going to blow Prince Sehun away?”

Apparently - jewelry. Jaemin adorns him the same pair of the necklace and earring that he’d worn before, putting him into a very similar outfit from the first day. The difference is that this time, Doyoung keeps his hair down, soft bangs falling right above his lashes. Mark is instructed to give Chanyeol a line around his eyes and spread it out with a darker shadow, bringing out how big his eyes are, and towards the tips, the subtlest glimmer of green matches the emerald on his ear and neck. Then there’s a knock on his door before any of them can do anything else.

For some reason, Chanyeol thinks he expected Baekhyun. Or Jinki. Or Jongdae, back from exploring more of the palace. Or maybe he didn’t expect anyone at all - the point is he just wasn’t expecting Sehun, of all people, to be the one to peek inside. He checks frantically for the time and sees that it’s twenty minutes before eight. He’s not late, so why is Sehun here early?

Mark squeaks aloud. Jaemin almost drops the gel case. Doyoung stammers for a while before bowing, and by that time Sehun has already stepped into his room, his presence not nearly as harsh as that day in the waiting room.

“I apologize,” Sehun says, blinking at the shocked reactions from Chanyeol’s stylists. “Was I interrupting something?”

If Chanyeol didn’t know Mark that well, he’d have laughed at his terrified expression. He’s still smiling a little as he reaches up for Mark’s arm. “Are you alright?” He asks.

Mark points at Sehun, hardly seeming to remember that he’s not really supposed to point fingers at a prince. “That’s - Prince Sehun,” he says, and Doyoung slaps his hand down.

Sehun looks vaguely amused, but his face always shows such minute reactions to everything that Chanyeol can’t be sure. “Pleasure to meet you,” he says to the three of them. “Are you Chanyeol’s butlers?”

They still look rather shell shocked, so Chanyeol is the one that introduces them. Sehun’s smile is more visible, eyes just a little softer, and Chanyeol relaxes.

“I was told by my brother that you’re a bundle of surprises,” Sehun says to Chanyeol, and yeah, there’s definitely a note of amusement there. “He was right.”

He’s still standing by the doorway, so Chanyeol takes it as a hint that they’re going to be heading to the gardens now. Sure enough, when he stands, Sehun takes a small step back, holding the door open for him.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Chanyeol calls to the three of them, and Jaemin waves at him encouragingly. Sehun’s still smiling, just barely.

“They seem fond of you,” Sehun says, and Chanyeol isn’t sure how he got that from their stammers and gaping mouths within the three or so minutes he’d stood in Chanyeol’s room, but he hopes they do like him somewhat.

“I like talking to them,” he offers as response, and Sehun hums.

“That’s rare to find.”

Turning, Chanyeol looks at Sehun in confusion. “What?”

Sehun’s steps are just as smooth and soft as his brother’s. He walks with an effortless air around him, elegant in everything he does, and Chanyeol is almost jealous. Sehun is nearly as tall as Chanyeol, but he lacks the bumbling, hopeless clumsiness Chanyeol had been born with, instead regal and refined. He turns to the entrance of the garden with a little flourish and pushes open the door with just as much grace.

“The people here,” Sehun says. “They’re mostly elites, and a few from high class. You’re the lowest in socioeconomic rank. I’ve heard from the servants that you, Jongdae, and Yerim are the only ones here who are close to their servants.”

Something about Sehun’s tone makes his words merely factual, even though there’s a little voice at the back of his head that tells Chanyeol that the blunt statement should sound at least a little insulting. Chanyeol wonders if Sehun is allowed to be telling him this. “Does that mean anything to you?”

Sehun seems to consider the question for a moment before he shakes his head. “Of course it says much about character, but some people may genuinely just be uncomfortable around strangers for a while until they get to know them better. That’s a matter of personal boundaries. However, my brother and I do view the more considerate ones in a favorable light.”

Chanyeol falters. “I - What’s the point of these talks? Are you filtering out the assholes?”

Sehun gives him a cold smile, expression changing completely in less than a second. He doesn’t give Chanyeol a chance to adjust to him, how quickly the mood shifts. It makes him wonder if Baekhyun can also do this, wonder if Baekhyun’s tender nature hides the more serious sides of him when he has no use for them. “If you had a brother like Baekhyun, would you not do anything to protect him?”

He’s sure Baekhyun’s plenty capable of taking care of himself, but he doesn’t say it out loud. Sehun purses his lips slightly. “I heard my brother has granted you access to these gardens.”

“I -” Chanyeol pauses. “Yeah. I’m more comfortable here.”

“My brother is rather fond of you. I hope you prove that you are worthy of his affections.”

Chanyeol is getting tired of people telling him he should prove himself to Baekhyun. Like Baekhyun is some prize to be won, as if Baekhyun isn’t the one doing the choosing in the first place. Feelings are something no one can control, anyway.

“I know I sound harsh,” Sehun says, head tilted slightly as he observes Chanyeol.

“You don’t say,” Chanyeol mutters, but Sehun hears. And snorts.

“I’m just very worried for Baekhyun,” Sehun says more quietly. He isn’t looking at Chanyeol now. “He is cautious, as any prince should be, but he tends to form strong attachments to the ones he lets into his heart, and they are often the ones he gets hurt by. I don’t want you to be the next. He’s fragile after all.”

Chanyeol isn’t sure what Jongdae saw in Sehun that made him so endeared, isn’t sure they’ve met the same person at all. The Sehun he’d seen with Baekhyun, pouty and soft around the edges, is nowhere to be found. But Sehun’s words keep haunting him in the night, through until the morning.

 

  
The next breakfast is the first where the king and queen will be with them for the meal as well.

Junmyeon tells them that despite their formal titles, they shouldn’t be too worried about perfect manners or postures - just make sure they don’t forget the official signs of respect. Technically, they should have done this the past few days with Baekhyun and Sehun, too - standing up and bowing or curtseying whenever a royal steps into the room, but both princes had insisted that they didn't want to bother them too much when they'd already started eating.

Today, when the royal family comes, regal as they always are, all of them stand up from the table. The males bow their heads while the girls curtsey to the gentle smiles of King Jeongsu and Queen Seohyun. They gracefully motion for them to sit back down, their sons following behind them with similar elegance.

The other thing different about this breakfast is the cameras buzzing around them. Chanyeol had forgotten that from today on, the entire competition will be a broadcasted show for the entire nation to watch. He envies how easily Jongdae manages the cameras and photographers, smiling sweetly to each and every one of them. Whenever there’s a question, Chanyeol lets Jongdae handle it while he digs into his food, taking one of the tongs to get a small strawberry pastry and almost moaning when he bites into it.

"Chanyeol-ssi," a voice calls to him suddenly, and Chanyeol glances up and nearly chokes when he meets Baekhyun's eyes, sparkling with amusement. "Do you really like those pastries so much?"

He barely manages to swallow everything in time to respond. "Yes, Prince Baekhyun, they're delicious."

From the far side of the room, he thinks he feels Minyoung and Zitao glaring holes into his skull while Jongdae merely seems entertained by their exchange. The cameras are flying around them to try catching every angle, every view of their conversation, while journalists and newspaper editors write furiously.

"Are they?" There's definitely a teasing tone there. Chanyeol isn't sure if Sehun is glaring at him or hiding a smile, but suddenly he wants to do something, throw a few words back at the prince.

"Our desserts could hardly compare to the castle," Chanyeol says. "In fact, I'd wager my sister would cry if she tasted these. She loves sweets even more than I do, and she’s pregnant at the moment. These would be a delight."

Baekhyun is glowing. He seems so pleased by the small banter and Chanyeol wonders how foreign this might feel to him, to talk so comfortably to someone without worrying about potential offenses or saying the wrong things. “Would you be willing to place that on a bet?”

Chanyeol feels a smile growing on his own face. The prince seems to be enjoying this little game of theirs. Fine, then. He’d play. “That depends on what the bet is for.”

Huffing out a laugh, Baekhyun leans forward on his elbows. “What would you like?”

Now that was a rather hard question. It wasn’t as if Chanyeol could go home, and any food or items he’d want were all at his disposal. He thinks for a few moments and then decides, “Sweatpants. I want a pair that I can wear when I’m alone.”

Everyone around the table laughs quietly. Even King Jeongsu seems amused at the request, and Queen Seohyun smiles over at Chanyeol more comfortably. Baekhyun feigns shock. “Oh? So you won’t be donning them during our formal dances?”

Chanyeol almost grins. “If I could, I would. I’m afraid they would scare away any higher elites, however.”

"Intimidated by the new fasion?"

"Certainly."

Baekhyun laughs again. “Alright. If she doesn’t cry, you owe me an afternoon by this week’s end.”

“That is a rather hard request,” Chanyeol teases, ignoring the soft noise somewhere to his left. The others shouldn’t be too upset, it’s not like Chanyeol is a potential prince in any way. “But I accept.”

Baekhyun looks so happy right now. It’s a good look on him, Chanyeol decides. “Yixing,” he calls, and the man that had been standing behind him during the meal comes forward. “Could you tell the chef to pack a few boxes of these to Chanyeol-ssi’s home? Make sure the guard sees whether his sister does indeed cry.”

The man named Yixing looks to be smothering a laugh. He nudges another man standing behind Prince Sehun, a tall, tanned guard with full lips who’s giggling softly into his sleeve before they both walk out towards the doors to deliver their message.

Towards the middle of their meal, Baekhyun motions for the cameras to leave, letting them eat in peace. Chanyeol thinks he sees even Queen Seohyun relax just a little in her chair, and the rest of them breathe out a silent sigh of relief, starting to talk among themselves with a more lighthearted air.

“An afternoon with the prince?” Jongdae whispers into his side, smiling wide. “At least one person is bound to stay a while.”

Honestly, Chanyeol had half-expected Sehun’s apparent dislike of him to send him home within the hour. But he’s still here, and he can’t say he hates it.

“Oh stop it,” Chanyeol says, but he’s smiling too.

 

  
Baekhyun is staring at him, amusement ever present on his face as he takes in how Chanyeol near devours the cakes.

“If only you liked me a fraction of the way you seem to crave those fancy desserts,” he muses, a hand hovering near his mouth and hiding his smile. Baekhyun himself is also taking some of the little pastries, but he’s eating them far more gracefully. “Actually, I’m curious. What competition am I up against?”

Chanyeol swallows his bite of some fluffy apple cake he doesn’t know the name of. “I like you well enough. Thank the cakes for that.”

Baekhyun bursts out laughing at this, eyes crinkling beautifully around the corners. “I’m so glad I’ve kept you around,” he says, smile lingering on his lips so freely. It brings a small smile to Chanyeol’s own face. He’s still a little upset that he’d lost, as Doyoung had knocked on his door this morning telling him that while Yoora had been amused at the thought, she hadn’t actually cried. He really would have enjoyed the sweatpants.

But it hadn’t been that bad, either. Baekhyun had shown him around to the palace’s orchestra room, and for the first time in his life, Chanyeol was able to go around and see the instruments he’d only ever dreamed of playing, and Baekhyun had promised that he could stop in anytime to play anything he wanted. In the end, they’d accidentally missed dinner as apparently, Baekhyun hadn’t told any guards where they were planning to go, and hardly anyone frequented the orchestra rehearsal stage to be able to warn them of the start of the meal. They’d also ended up asking Yixing, who Chanyeol found later was Baekhyun’s personal bodyguard, to help them sneak inside the kitchen for something to eat.

“I’m sorry you had to miss dinner,” Baekhyun says, taking a peach tart and nibbling on the end.

Chanyeol shakes his head. “This was fun. I enjoyed it.”

“Really?” Baekhyun pauses to look up at him. “I - I wasn’t sure what to do, honestly. Asking you out for the afternoon was rather an impulse, but I’m not used to this.” He shrugs a little. “It’s probably obvious, but I haven’t had many friends.”

It is really obvious. It’s a little endearing, too, that Baekhyun had been worried about this. Chanyeol smiles.

“Am I really allowed to play the instruments?”

“Only if you invite me to watch sometimes.”

They’re both grinning. For a moment, it’s almost like they understand each other. “Deal.”


	4. Chapter 4

The first Elimination had been a rather quiet affair. The respective girls and boys had been told of their dismissals privately by Baekhyun, and Chanyeol had known by the clock striking midnight that he’d made it to the second week. The next morning, they’d been greeted with just twenty-two chairs around the breakfast table instead of thirty, and the same day, all of them had been moved into single bedrooms. He almost felt bad about it, that he’d never get to know the people that had left, but he’s also infinitely grateful that he was allowed to stay, even more grateful that Jongdae had stayed as well.

"Come on, Chanyeol," Jongdae whines, pulling at his arms. "We have to go, Junmyeon’s going to be upset if we’re late -”

What he isn’t grateful for are the responsibilities that had been piled on top of them right afterwards.

Manners lessons, etiquette lessons, posture lessons, dance lessons, history lessons, politics and world culture appropriation lessons - Chanyeol is exhausted. The classes are scheduled throughout the week, the more important ones taking place almost every day and decreasing in number the less relevant they are, but it still means at least six hours of sitting at a desk reading every day, with only brief breaks in between. He thanks God that Jongdae is with him because honestly - he wouldn’t have survived otherwise.

“ _Chanyeol_ -”

Chanyeol heaves himself off the table with a sigh, stretching lazily and giving Jongdae a tired smile.

“Sorry, I’m just not in the mood for any of this right now.”

Jongdae huffs. “No one likes Junmyeon’s lectures, but we have to go. Besides, I’m sure they’ll end up being helpful somehow.”

He lets Jongdae tug him up and out of the library he’d been resting in, feigning a dramatic sigh. “Haven’t you already gone through all these lessons when you were younger?” He asks Jongdae, grimacing when he looks at the schedule and sees that their next lesson is in posture. “Since you’re an Elite and all that.”

“That doesn’t mean I’ve learned how to hold a tiara or barf politely,” Jongdae says, crinkling his nose. They get into the classroom just as Junmyeon is starting to hand out small pamphlets filled with their learning material for the day, and Junmyeon smiles over at them kindly. Junmyeon is nice and soft, and Chanyeol loves having casual conversations with him, but his lessons are pure torture. He gets why, especially since he’s sure that royals will be put to the highest expectations, but he also wishes sometimes that he could just run away for a while.

He finally gets a chance when the king announces free time for all of them after around a week, saying that since he and Baekhyun had to leave for a business meeting for a few days, any lessons would be canceled until they were back. Chanyeol hadn’t understood until Jongdae kindly reminded him that Junmyeon is the royal advisor, and needs to be with them for any political meetings.

He practically runs up to his room at the news. It feels wonderful to know he has two or three days to do whatever he’d like, but a surprise is sitting in the center of his bed when he rushes inside. A part of Chanyeol had jumped to his family, but he knows they have no money to be sending him gift packages, especially ones wrapped so prettily like this.

Looking inside, he almost bursts into delighted laughter.

A little note sits at the top of the pile inside the box, and at this point Baekhyun’s handwriting is easier than anything to recognize. His flowing, script-like Korean writes almost cheekily - _Let’s see how the Elites react to these_ \- but there’s an undercurrent of sweet sincerity and Chanyeol finds that even though they’re mere sweatpants, the fabric making them up is still clearly high quality. He puts the note in the drawer that he’d designated for memory-keeping, and only barely manages to get out of the pants to prepare for dinner.

 

  
The two days pass by in a flurry of excitement among the rest of the contestants. Most of the time is spent with each other in the Waiting Room, gossiping about the two princes, laughing as they place bets around whatever missions they’ll be faced with over the six months.

“I asked the prince about it,” says Sooyoung, to a mix of shocked and amused reactions. _How blunt_ , someone in the back says, and Sooyoung shrugs. “He said they’ll mostly be stuff to test our foreign affairs knowledge and test whether we have the skill to handle people from other places.”

Minyoung tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Well that’ll be a piece of cake for me. Shouldn’t the rest of you _Elites_ also pass easily?” She glanced around at them, eyeing Chanyeol for a moment before hiding a soft smirk behind her hand. “Oh, sorry. I forgot you were there.”

Jongdae hums. “The tests won’t be the only thing the prince looks at to determine a partner. Some of us should fix our _attitudes_.”

The words immediately make Minyoung raise her brows and turn a light pink, and Zitao smothers his laughs into Yifan’s shoulder. As if he isn’t worse.

Joohyun’s gentle, commanding voice is what gets them to settle down again. “We are here to present our best selves to the royal family,” she says, leveling Jongdae with what might be a disappointed glare. Jongdae makes a small noise of protest and pouts a little. “We are not here to act like foolish children. Class does not matter where this is involved.”

“You can’t possibly believe that,” Zitao snipes at her, pointing around them. His finger lands on Chanyeol. “He’s the only one left that’s at a lower level than an Elite.”

Yerim clears her throat loudly. “You forget me.”

“The prince isn’t that interested in you anyway,” Zitao dismisses, and Yerim shrinks back, hurt flashing across her face. Mina wraps an arm around her and rolls her eyes.

“And what? The prince is interested in _you_?”

Waving a hand, Zitao ignores Yifan’s attempts from beside him to get him to shut up. “Even if he isn’t, I come with enough assets from China that he’ll have to consider me. Besides, the public adores me.”

And that, unfortunately, is true. According to Jongdae, Zitao’s family owns a scatter of big companies all over China that are interlocked with political affairs, but Zitao himself had been a high-end model until he got into the Selection. The public already knows him as a sweetheart.

“Just stop,” Seungwoo says, rubbing a hand down his face. “We are all here for a reason, and even if the reasons might be different, you don’t want to piss off the future prince or princess.”

That is also true. The most anyone says afterwards is a grumble or something of the sort, starting go to their rooms in separate paths throughout the castle. Joohyun touches his arm briefly in comfort before she leaves and Chanyeol spares a smile at her, wondering if he should also say something to Yerim but deciding against it at the last moment. Later, when he knows her better. As soon as they’re relatively out of sight, Nayeong sighs heavily, stretching her arms out.

"I hope we don't get into any more fights," she says, to a mumbled agreement from Jongdae beside her.

“This is a Selection though,” Jongdae says tiredly. “Can’t really blame anyone for wanting to seem better than the others.”

Nayeong shrugs. “Well, it’s not as if I can get mad if someone has more dates than me, even if I want the crown myself. We all have different strengths.”

Chanyeol blinks in surprise and meets Jongdae’s eyes, holding a similar look in them. She said _crown_ , not _Baekhyun_. But Jongdae shakes his head slightly and Chanyeol closes his mouth.

When he’s back in his room, he finds that most of his energy is drained for some reason or another. He collapses into his bed and waves Doyoung’s worries away, looks up only at Jaemin’s surprisingly forceful demands that he sit up. Cool water is pressed to his lips and Chanyeol swallows, grateful for the soothing liquid running down his throat but there’s a new wave of nausea hitting him now.

There’s nothing holding Baekhyun or Sehun back from kicking him out. Sure, he has the deal with Baekhyun for friendship, but it’s not like Baekhyun hasn’t gone on dates with others. Just with Jongdae, he’s been on two. It’s a ridiculous speed-dating process that doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon, but if Chanyeol doesn’t work for it, he won’t have a place here. And if he does anything to set Sehun off, he’s sure that the younger prince’s opinion is valuable enough to Baekhyun that he’d rather satisfy Sehun than keep Chanyeol around.

Jaemin and Doyoung leave once they’re certain that Chanyeol isn’t sick, and Mark whispers a gentle, “Good luck,” before closing the door quietly.

Chanyeol wants desperately to call his sister.

 

  
The next day is the last of their free hours until they need to get back to work. He lets his stylists know that he isn’t feeling well enough to go down for the meals, and they’re brought up to him on small trays that he barely touches at all. In the end, even Jaemin gives up trying to get him to eat and lets Chanyeol sprawl out on his bed. He feels petty, like a child.

He still isn’t in the mood for company when there’s a knock on the door hours later. He goes up in preparation to apologize to his stylists for being rude or to tell Jongdae that he isn’t feeling too well, but instead, Chanyeol opens the door to see Baekhyun.

And the prince looks… nervous. Strained. His smile is gone, a pained look in his eyes as he wrings his hands. This is too strange. Too unnatural. Chanyeol is almost scared at the change, Baekhyun's exhausted disposition making him antsy, anxious about what might be wrong. His own bad mood is put on the back burner as he focuses on Baekhyun, tries to figure out why the prince is like this.

“You’re back,” he says, but he’s still confused. He itches to reach out for Baekhyun but he doesn’t know if he can, and his arms linger uselessly by his sides. “What’s wrong?”

"I'm sorry," Baekhyun whispers, fingers digging into his forearm. "I just… I wasn’t sure if I could ask for your company. I - I can go, if you're busy, I was just wondering -"

"Come in," Chanyeol says, and smiles when Baekhyun opens his mouth to protest. "You're always welcome."

Even in his room, Baekhyun seems hesitant. This isn't the prince Chanyeol knows, the prince he's gotten so used to. The prince in front of him is reluctant to speak, the grace in his posture gone and replaced with a jittery wariness that Chanyeol isn't sure how to deal with. Baekhyun is supposed to be the eloquent one between the two of them but he tries to fill the silence, tries to make Baekhyun feel better, tells himself that Baekhyun is the one who needs comfort right now.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” Chanyeol says softly. “You can just stay here.”

He does stay. Baekhyun’s frown lessens little by little until he finally has just a blank expression, sitting silently with a foreign look on his face. They don’t say anything, and Baekhyun, eventually, falls asleep. He’s in a little, curled up ball on the edge of the bed, and the sight is all too reminiscent of the times Chanyeol has done the same as a child. Chanyeol wonders just what’s going on in his life that’s made him so exhausted, but he knows it’s not his place to ask or pry, and all he hopes is that Baekhyun will feel better by the time he wakes up.

He’s just put a blanket over the sleeping prince when there’s a soft, almost inaudible knock on his door, and he’s left praying to God that it isn’t Jongdae, thanking fuck that they have separate rooms now because Baekhyun sleeping on his bed - that would be such a nightmare to explain. Thankfully, he opens the door not to Jongdae, but a stranger instead.

“I’m sorry,” the young man says, and Chanyeol’s struck by - everything about him, really. His eyes are huge even though he isn’t widening them purposefully, his short height accentuating how… adorable he is, if that’s even the right word to describe him. “I was wondering if Baekhyun is here.”

Chanyeol almost blurts out that he is before realizing that this man might be someone Baekhyun doesn’t want to see at the moment. The man clearly reads through his hesitance because he laughs a little, heart-shaped lips forming a cute smile. He extends a hand that Chanyeol just barely remembers to shake. “My name is Do Kyungsoo,” he introduces. “I’m his personal advisor. I don’t go out much.”

The familiar title is what makes Chanyeol relax enough to invite Kyungsoo inside. Baekhyun’s told him of his advisor before, how his misleading, grumpy image is really just a cover to mask how cute he is. “He’s sleeping,” Chanyeol says as he closes the door behind them. “It hasn’t been too long.”

Kyungsoo sits on the bed beside Baekhyun, running gentle fingers through his hair and - wow, Chanyeol wasn’t expecting the punch to his heart that the image brought. His eyes are tender and sad as he looks down at the prince.

“He’s been incredibly overloaded,” Kyungsoo says, his voice soft as to not wake Baekhyun. “The past few days, and it isn’t just the Selection, it’s his other duties as first prince. I suppose I can’t blame him for wanting an escape.”

Chanyeol can’t, either. There’s a small part of him that wonders just what it means that he’s the escape, but he knows he’d linger too much on it if he allowed himself. He’s Baekhyun’s friend. He knows Baekhyun has probably never even had normal relationships before, especially ones that weren’t riddled with political backgrounds or subtle power plays. He hopes he’s doing well enough in showing him what friendships can be.

Baekhyun wakes up around half an hour later with a small sniffle, moving up to rest his head on Kyungsoo’s lap. Chanyeol almost melts.

“Where,” Baekhyun whispers, blinking blearily. “Where am I?”

Kyungsoo shushes him with a gentle hand in his hair, helping him sit up. “You were bothering one of your contestants, Baekhyun.” He’s clearly chastising, but his voice is fond. “I wanted to give you a little break before I have to take you back. I’m sorry.”

He does sound sorry about it. Kyungsoo looks like he wants to let Baekhyun stay here for so much longer but Baekhyun is a prince, and Chanyeol realizes this. Baekhyun runs a hand down his face with an exhausted sigh as he slips out from beneath the blanket, and his eyes widen a little when he meets Chanyeol’s gaze.

“I’ll be waiting outside,” Kyungsoo says, clicking the door closed with the faintest sound.

Baekhyun’s hair is soft and fluffy now, most of the gel having been rubbed off. He opens his mouth, apologies riddled in his eyes at having fallen asleep on Chanyeol’s bed but Chanyeol shakes his head before he can say the word.

“Don't,” he says. “You needed this.”

Baekhyun’s breath is shaky when he exhales. “I didn’t realize how exhausted I was. I’m still sorry, I know I must have made you uncomfortable.”

“You’re always welcome,” Chanyeol tries to assure. “And this is your castle, technically I’m the guest.”

His eyes lighten at Chanyeol’s attempts to calm him, and this - this tenderness and softness is what Chanyeol is used to.

“Actually,” Chanyeol says, making Baekhyun tilt his head curiously, “Do you want a code? Like, a secret sign if you need to see me.”

Baekhyun giggles quietly into his sleeve, eyes crescents. “A secret sign? What are we, twelve?”

It’s times like these that make it easier to forget that Baekhyun is a prince, that Chanyeol is merely a small pawn in a matchmaking system, that one day Baekhyun will find someone who truly deserves him and Chanyeol will be cast back out. He rolls his eyes at Baekhyun. “Laugh all you want, but I swear there’s going to be a time when you need to tell me something discreetly.”

Baekhyun is still smiling. “We could use this,” he says, making a small hand motion. It’s a simple sign, with the middle and ring fingers folded in while the other three stick out. “Sehun and I used it whenever we wanted to distract our tutors as children. And then we’d sneak off into the gardens and eat little cakes. We always got caught sooner or later, though.”

Baekhyun and Jongdae seem to have a talent for seeing a baby in Sehun that isn’t there, Chanyeol thinks drily. But he softens at the thought, knowing how much Sehun and Baekhyun clearly cherish each other.

“Alright.” He sees Baekhyun to the door, leaning out to see both Kyungsoo and Yixing standing near the entrance. “Take care of yourself, we don’t want the prince collapsing on us. Who would we marry then?”

Baekhyun laughs. It’s loud and bright and beautiful. “Thank you, Chanyeol.”

 

  
Joohyun is the epitome of perfection as she rehearses her lines for their first televised appearance, smiling gently when needed and her voice as soft and soothing as drizzling raindrops. The other girls and boys sigh as they watch, while Sooyoung and Yerim take turns making funny faces behind her to try messing her up. At one point, she yells for them to stop, but they’re all laughing, and Jongdae too, smiles widely at their antics.

“It’s nicer now,” Jongdae says quietly. “Everyone is more or less comfortable with each other.”

Chanyeol agrees. The more time they spend together, the more he learns about everyone, how Mina is adorably shy with strangers but opens up incredibly to people she grows close to, how Joohyun, despite her composure, also laughs and jokes around with the other girls. Sooyoung is breathtaking with her wide smiles, and Yerim always flits around to everyone and makes them laugh. Yifan had also been a surprise, Chanyeol thinks, remembering how clumsy and quite frankly - dumb, the older man had confessed to being when it comes to romance or relationships.

He finds that even with all their petty jealousy and small fights, he doesn’t dislike anyone. If anything, he can understand where all of them are coming from, that despite their differences in background, they're fighting for the same thing. Well - mostly the same thing. Chanyeol thinks back to Nayeong’s words, how she’d talked for the crown, not Baekhyun, wonders how the prince would feel if he knew.

Then again, hadn’t Baekhyun already told him he’d expected this?

All too soon however, their waiting time comes to an end, and Junmyeon is smiling at them encouragingly from behind the curtains leading to the stage. “Come on, ladies and gents,” Junmyeon says, trying to make them smile, but it’s obvious that he’s nervous as well. “Just do as we practiced.”

They’re filing into the small stadium when Chanyeol sees a glimpse of Baekhyun in the far corner talking to Kyuhyun, apparently the host of all of their televised interviews. Their eyes meet for the briefest moment and Baekhyun’s lips tug up into a smile. Before he can do anything though, there’s a soft elbow in his side, Seungwoo whispering, “Don’t you look just dashing,” with a teasing grin. Chanyeol rolls his eyes and shoves him back discreetly.

It takes a while, but all twenty-two of them are seated comfortably on the triangular formation of rising chairs. Most of the girls are up front to make it easier to walk to the stage in their heavy dresses, and Chanyeol flinches just at the image. With fashion, it really is easier to be male.

Just as he’s finishing that thought, there’s a poke at his shoulder and he almost screams aloud, Jongdae’s laughter filling the static in his ears and he whirls around to face Sooyoung.

“Don’t scare me like that,” Chanyeol says, clutching his heart. Sooyoung just laughs at him, greeting Jongdae amicably on Chanyeol’s other side. “And shouldn’t you be in the front? You might trip on the steps.”

“Look if you think that _this_ ,” Sooyoung holds up a part of her red dress in distaste, “is going to make me sit up there with those hyenas, you’re very, very wrong.”

Well, it’s fair of her not to want to sit next to Zitao or Minyoung.

“Besides,” she whispers conspiratorially, “I’m probably least at risk of falling on my face.”

Chanyeol looks down to see that she’s wearing sneakers and hides a chortle behind his sleeve. “Seriously? Sneakers? The cameras under the stage might catch them.”

Sooyoung shrugs and leans back comfortably on her chair. “I’m the second tallest within the girls here, right after Minyoung. If I wore heels, I’d tower over some of the girls. If they catch me I’ll pretend I’ve done the shorties a favor.”

Jongdae gives her a fist bump across Chanyeol. “You’re amazing.”

“I know.”

They fall silent when King Jeongsu clears his throat into the microphone. He starts tonight’s official show with news of Korea as well as a brief overview of what’s happening within the palace walls, different foreign affairs that Korea is involved in at the moment. Chanyeol finds it too hard to focus on them, being used to listening to them with Yoora’s sarcastic comments next to him and his mother’s cafe snacks laid out on the tables.

Soon though, the announcements end and Kyuhyun walks up onto the stage with a flourish. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he says, “and the audience of New Korea. We present to you, our lovely Selected!”

There seems to be more than a thousand lights shining down on them, all at once. Chanyeol forces himself to smile pleasantly the way he’d been taught by Jaemin and Junmyeon, knowing that his family will see him on television tonight and wanting them to be proud. Jongdae whispers the softest, “Good luck,” right before the official introductions start, and then Chanyeol’s caught breathless as Sehun and Baekhyun walk onto the stage, Sehun going up to a podium behind them with King Jeongsu and Queen Seohyun while Baekhyun takes a seat across Kyuhyun.

Baekhyun looks beautiful, as he always does. His stylists have put him in a black turtleneck and pants, lavender suit jacket providing color to his outfit and his hair styled in gentle waves. He smiles at each of the cameras swarming to get a look at him, giving them all a glance of his face before he turns back to Kyuhyun with a smile.

“Ah, the man of the hour,” Kyuhyun says, teasing, prompting a laugh out of Baekhyun. “How have you been, your highness?”

“Careful, Kyuhyun,” Baekhyun replies, just as light. “I’m not the king… yet.”

“Are you enjoying your Selected so far? Are the girls as nice as they seemed? Are the boys as charming?”

Baekhyun’s smile turns a little more genuine at the mention of them. Chanyeol starts seeing a little more of the comfortable, easy-going side of him that Baekhyun had mentioned was harder for him to channel in official settings. “Well, that’s a rather hard question.”

Kyuhyun turns to Baekhyun in surprise. “What? Whatever for?”

“Well,” Baekhyun starts, looking past Kyuhyun to Chanyeol for a moment, “someone actually yelled at me the first night.”

Chanyeol feels betrayed. He hadn't _yelled_.

Above Baekhyun in the podium, King Jeongsu is whispering to Sehun with an amused smile, while Sehun leans his chin on his hand, his tanned guard laughing behind him again. Jongdae leans towards Chanyeol just so he can whisper, “I’ll bet anything that it was you,” and Chanyeol kicks his foot, hoping no camera caught it.

“Really.” Kyuhyun looks absolutely delighted. “Is the lady or gent still here?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun says. He’s looking straight at Chanyeol now, and Chanyeol’s mouth goes dry. “I hope they stay for a long time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Ahhhh Baekhyun's album is a masterpiece and guess what - I'm going to Korea !!!!!! Ahaha I'm looking forward to hearing his songs in shops and stuff and maybe seeing him on TV. On the other hand, I'll be spending time with family and friends there so my updates will probably be a little sparse until I come back.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

According to Jongdae, the second Elimination isn’t nearly as private a dismissal as the first. Chanyeol doesn’t feel too worried for this one though, and he doesn’t even stay up until midnight waiting for a possible knock signaling his discharge. He wakes up instead at some ungodly hour when Jongdae bangs loudly on his door.

He’s yelling at Chanyeol to get out of bed, just in time to see the eliminated contestants out the castle, but it’s barely light outside and he just wants to _sleep_. He isn’t sure why they’re sending them off in the first place. If he was one of the eliminated, he surely wouldn’t want to have the remaining Selected waving away to him, almost a teasing reminder that he hadn’t been good enough.

Baekhyun and Sehun come out at the last second to join them in the send-off. Both of them are wearing minimal makeup, simple jeans and a shawl to keep them warm in the early morning. It’s a refreshing look, honestly.

“Why didn’t we do this for the first Elimination?” Chanyeol hears Minyoung ask Baekhyun once the six contestants have been led out the castle walls. “Was it a scheduling issue?”

"Partly," Baekhyun answers. His voice sounds groggy, sleep underlying his features. He smiles at Chanyeol when he catches his eye. "It actually wasn't supposed to be such a large batch. I planned to excuse three or four people which is why I didn’t want to bother you all at the time, but I ended up sending eight back home."

"Why?" It's Seungwoo this time.

Baekhyun shrugs. "Gut feeling."

They leave it at that.

Back in the castle, many of them go back to their rooms to try getting an hour or two more of sleep before they need to go down for breakfast, but Chanyeol knows that he won’t be able to fall asleep again, so he lounges around in his room and talks to his stylists until it’s time to go down. When he reaches the dining hall, there's a buzz of excitement going around the breakfast table, and Chanyeol only finds out why everyone's so roused when King Jeongsu stands up at the end of the meal, declaring that preparations for the first dance will be underway throughout the duration of the week.

"Really," Jongdae says, exasperated, even as he laughs. "It was on your schedule. Have you not been paying attention?"

No, Chanyeol hasn't. At all. His blank expression clearly says it all because Jongdae laughs again.

“Classic, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes at Jongdae and looks up to grab a strawberry tart when he meets Baekhyun’s eyes, seeing a small smile flit across the prince’s lips. Reaching up, Baekhyun fixes his hair but he makes the sign they’d agreed on as their secret code with his hand as he does so, and Chanyeol swallows thickly as he replies with the same motion and holds up a cup.

In all fairness, it’s been a few days since they’ve had a private conversation. But the second Elimination had been just today, and there aren’t any other interviews they have to face anytime soon. What else could be going wrong?

It’s the only thing on Chanyeol’s mind throughout the rest of the day, and he gets pulled to the side twice during Junmyeon’s lectures asking if he’s sick.

He only gets away by saying he’s nervous for a date.

 

  
Baekhyun doesn’t actually come to find him until after dinner. Chanyeol had already changed back into his sleepwear and almost had a heart attack when the prince came into his room without warning, falling backwards on his bed and the papers he’d been studying ending up all over the floor.

“You’re so easy to startle,” Baekhyun says, laughing as he comes over and picks up the papers for him. Sehun stands behind him almost protectively, but the guard he always has around him touches his arm and shakes his head, making Sehun roll his eyes. Still, he moves away. “Walk with me?”

Chanyeol frowns. “Aren’t I a little underdressed?”

“You know I don’t care what you look like.”

So Chanyeol shrugs and agrees.

The response makes Baekhyun smile widely and he turns quickly to kiss Sehun’s cheek, whispering something to him before he focuses back on Chanyeol. “How was the interview yesterday?” He asks, and Chanyeol takes a moment to watch the tanned guard push Sehun out his room. The sight is almost comical, paired with Sehun’s audible whines.

“It wasn’t as bad as I’d expected,” he admits. Taking the arm Baekhyun offers, he stands, letting Baekhyun walk them out into the halls. “I’m not used to cameras. I was so scared that one of them might catch me making a funny face or something, but I think I was fine.”

"You did well," Baekhyun says, amused. “For someone who was so worried about the whole thing.”

Chanyeol snorts. "All I did was sit there and look pretty. There weren’t even any hard questions."

Baekhyun laughs. "You did a good job looking pretty, too." Chanyeol sputters and just barely manages not to stumble when Baekhyun pulls him to a staircase.

The halls that Baekhyun leads him through are winding, seemingly further away from the main floors. The more they walk, the more the halls get narrower until they’re heading up a small tower, steps going up in spirals that reach a small, open room with glass windows for walls. Baekhyun beckons him over to a window seat, looking out at the scenery.

It’s breathtaking. The gardens that decorate the open front of the castle are now in bird’s eye view, colorful fields and patterns weaving through the land. The fountain in the middle sprouts in small water shows that sparkle with different colored lights underneath and on the other side, a clocktower stands, majestic and tall. If he squints, he might see the bell ringer getting ready to signal the time’s change.

“You know, if all you said about not having access to many people is true, you seem to have read too many romance novels.” Chanyeol leans out the window to catch the breeze, still cool due to the early hour. “How else do you find the best places to be?”

“Really?” Baekhyun seems genuinely surprised. “All I’ve done is take you to the places I liked since I was young.”

“Seems we have similar tastes then.”

Baekhyun shakes his head slightly, but there’s a small smile on his face that falters as he starts speaking. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I called for you.” He looks away for a second. “I wanted to ask you for something. And I wasn’t sure how you’d react to it.”

“That would depend on what it is.”

Baekhyun surveys him carefully before he leans a little closer, voice dropping into a low murmur despite being high up in the tower, a place Chanyeol doubts many people mull around.

“Help me.”

Chanyeol almost falls out the window. “What?”

“I’m sure you’re closer to the contestants because you are one of them,” Baekhyun continues, reaching out with an arm to steady him naturally. “I consider myself to be good enough at reading people’s true personalities, but I can’t rely on instincts alone to choose someone I will most likely have to spend my entire life with.”

A small feeling of dread starts spreading in Chanyeol’s chest. “What are you asking?”

“I’m nervous,” Baekhyun admits, hands gripping his sleeves tightly. Not for the first time, Chanyeol is reminded of a child, alone and scared. “I know there are contestants that the public loves, and I constantly wonder whether I should choose someone I’m comfortable with or someone Korea will love as a ruler. And I’m so scared that I’ll end up with the wrong person.”

Chanyeol purses his lips. “You shouldn’t worry too much about that. In the end it’s you who’s going to suffer if you choose someone you don’t like. The public won’t know anything behind the cameras.”

Exhaling harshly, Baekhyun runs a hand through his hair and turns away. “I know. I know that, and Sehun reminds me every day. But I’m a prince, you know?” He sounds almost dejected. “I’m going to be the figurehead of the country. I need - I need to satisfy the people.”

Chanyeol doesn’t have much to say to that. He knows that he won’t ever truly understand what Baekhyun is going through, knows that as long as Baekhyun doesn’t tell him, he won’t be able to help. They have such different backgrounds, how could he understand?

“Look,” Chanyeol sighs, “I don’t know exactly what responsibilities you have and what quota needs to be met to marry you. But the public loves you. Shouldn’t they be happy for your happiness?”

Baekhyun’s laugh is self-deprecating. “Who actually cares for that?”

“I do.” Chanyeol surprises himself with the force of his words, but he finds that he does. He cares so much more than he should for this prince that he’s gotten to know over the past three weeks, the prince that had comforted and worried for him when no one else in the castle had. “I care. And I don’t want to see you unhappy.”

The words make Baekhyun freeze, and his eyes widen for a moment before his expression cracks, fragile and a little lost. “Thank you, Chanyeol.” His voice hides something heavier that Chanyeol can’t name, but Baekhyun covers it easily with another smile. “Thank you.”

Chanyeol purses his lips. Baekhyun still has the habit of hiding parts of himself that he seems to feel are disgraceful, inappropriate as a royal. He doesn’t seem to realize that being close to someone means to bear insecurities to each other, but it isn’t his place to patronize the prince with relationship advice.

“So all I need to do is tell you if you’re about to make a mistake?” Chanyeol asks.

“Yes, that’ll do,” Baekhyun says, rubbing his eyes. If he notices how his immediate composure has affected Chanyeol, he doesn’t mention it. “Hopefully I won’t make too many.”

“You have me, don’t you?” Chanyeol asks, trying to add a joking tone. Baekhyun laughs a little and turns to see the rest of the sunset, hair flowing around him and the orange rays casting a brilliant glow to his features.

A tiny little part of Chanyeol twists in on itself at the image. Sooner or later, he won’t be able to see that smile anymore, only the fake, dull version of it girls giggle over on the covers of newspapers or magazines, the polite laugh Baekhyun has perfected to show in front of the camera.

If he wants to stay, he needs to fight for it. Chanyeol watches Baekhyun play with a flower in the windowsill and wonders if he’s ready to.

 

  
“Don’t you think Baekhyun is acting a little strange these days,” Yerim whispers to Chanyeol when Junmyeon has passed their table. Chanyeol startles.

“What?”

Seungwoo leans forward in his chair from behind them. “You noticed too?”

Nodding, Yerim brings a hand to her chin and frowns, lips pursing up in what could be mistaken as a pout. “He’s just been so… _off_. You think it’s because he’s sick or something?”

At this, they both turn to Chanyeol, and he blinks at the sudden attention. “Why are you looking at me?”

Seungwoo scoffs. “Please. Everyone knows you’re his favorite. Aren’t you also the last person who’s gone on a date with him?”

Chanyeol opens his mouth to protest, not wanting to give way to rumors among the Selected because really, that’s the last thing Baekhyun needs when he’s under so much stress all the time. Baekhyun hasn’t been acting weird recently, no he isn’t sick, and why do they think Chanyeol is his favorite? But then he actually thinks about it, and he realizes that Baekhyun has been keeping to himself a lot for the past few days, since the night he asked Chanyeol to help him with the Selecting. Has he really not gone on dates after that?

“What are you talking about,” he mutters at last, messing the back of his hair. “I haven’t noticed anything.”

Seungwoo’s eyes narrow at him and Chanyeol wishes that these people weren’t so perceptive. After a moment though, the weight of his gaze lessens and Seungwoo shrugs at him. “Maybe he is sick,” he says to Yerim, who murmurs softly that Baekhyun should take better care of himself. “But I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

They don’t have a chance to speak more because Junmyeon finishes handing out the papers and claps his hands to get their attention, but what they say sticks with Chanyeol long after he’s in his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

He hopes that they’re just worried for nothing, but the worst possibilities always end up being reality.

This time is no different.

 

  
The next morning, Chanyeol is flanked by Zitao, who sticks right next to him and sits down to his left at the breakfast table. Jongdae gives him a worried look on his other side, but Chanyeol blinks and tries to ignore Zitao.

He should have known that Zitao is not one to be ignored.

Like all mornings, the cameras are sent away after around ten minutes to let them eat comfortably. As soon as they are, Zitao turns to Chanyeol and pinches his thigh.

“What the hell did you do to Baekhyun,” Zitao hisses, voice low enough that Chanyeol can hear the suspicion, but not loud enough to look strange to anyone else.

Chanyeol holds in a sigh. Royal table, royal manners, as Junmyeon always says.

“What are you talking about?” He’s tired, and he isn’t in the mood to deal with Zitao right now. Then again, he’s too tired to deal with a lot of things these days. “You’re going on about this too?”

Zitao pauses. “I’m not the first?”

“No.” It’s a tragedy, that he isn’t even in the mood for a strawberry tart. Chanyeol takes a sip of his water and brings the glass down harder than he’d planned. “You aren’t.”

Turning away, Zitao takes another bite of his food, letting out a low whistle after he’s swallowed. “Have you really not noticed?”

More than anything, Chanyeol just really doesn’t want to talk about Baekhyun - not even behind his back, but right in front of him to Huang Zitao, in plain sight of all the royals and the other contestants. He wishes Yifan had been able to reel him in today, but then again, Zitao hasn’t acted completely insufferable just yet.

“Noticed what?”

Zitao makes a small motion with his fork, something that would have gone unnoticed by most.

“He looks wary of everything these days.”

Chanyeol inhales sharply.

There isn’t really a reason for Zitao to be lying about something like this, and if Seungwoo and Yerim have noticed too, then he guesses it’s his own ignorance that led to his blindness. Chanyeol looks towards Baekhyun and, like always, their eyes meet.

But Baekhyun’s smile today is small and strained and he almost looks - afraid.

Chanyeol turns away and forces himself to eat.

 

  
It’s the third time in the past hour that Jongdae’s had to pinch his arm to make him pay attention. Chanyeol barely keeps the yelp he’d almost let out stuck in his throat, and turns to the correct page in the history book to try catch up to whatever Junmyeon’s saying.

It isn’t helping.

The only thing he could focus on as the month progressed was how Baekhyun grew more and more distant with every single one of them. He still goes on dates. He still takes Chanyeol to the orchestra room and sings while Chanyeol plays the piano or the guitar. He still talks with all of them, but there’s the strangest feeling that there is a growing wall that Baekhyun is hiding behind for some reason. When Baekhyun asked him for advice on who Chanyeol believed to be good for him, he wasn’t expecting Baekhyun to start keeping them all at an arm’s distance.

Chanyeol hates it.

He also hates that Baekhyun is so good at catching onto his feelings.

“Are you angry?” Baekhyun asks him, paused in motion as he frowns at Chanyeol, staring at him as if it’ll tell him what’s wrong. Both their cakes are uneaten in front of them, forgotten and discarded. They’d hardly spoken at all on this date. “Are you feeling alright?”

He hates more than anything that he can’t lie.

“Have you been avoiding me?” Chanyeol blurts out. Seeing the shock on Baekhyun’s face, he almost regrets his question but he’s curious. He’s curious and he needs answers and he wants the truth, too. “Why?”

He wonders if Baekhyun knows that Chanyeol can tell apart his facades, that Chanyeol can figure out now with just a glance the emotions that Baekhyun tries to hide underneath. He wonders if Baekhyun is letting his guards down in front of Chanyeol, if he’s letting him see, if Baekhyun can read him just as easily. He wonders if Baekhyun knows that his lies are transparent.

“Of course not,” Baekhyun says. He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself. “Why would I be?”

“You’ve been acting strangely ever since you asked me to help you that day,” Chanyeol argues. “Don’t pretend you haven’t.”

Baekhyun refuses to look at him as he waves away a guard that had almost walked in on the scene. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Gritting his teeth, Chanyeol runs a hand down his face, and Baekhyun winces. “Please don’t lie to me,” he says. Baekhyun’s expression cracks just a little. “Please. Not to me.”

Baekhyun looks so torn right now. Chanyeol almost wants to rip away all his elegance and his pretense and see what he’s covering, see if the prince he’d grown so fond of is the same on the inside.

“I feel like,” Chanyeol’s voice breaks, “I feel like I’m never really getting to know you.”

It’s startling even to himself, but it’s true. He’s thought countless times of what Baekhyun might be like without the public pressure to be perfect all the time. Wanted to see every part of him, the angry, the petty, jealous, sad, happy, overjoyed, but the only side Baekhyun ever really shows is the dignified prince, brief bouts of vulnerability in between. Baekhyun is so kind to him, but whenever Chanyeol seems to be getting too close, Baekhyun retreats into a shell and they end up at the same place they’d been in.

He knows that the prince is gentle and kind and wise and strong, that he is self-sacrificial and cares way too much for others and not nearly enough about himself. He knows countless things about the prince, has been on the receiving end of so much of his attention and sweet affection. He knows Prince Baekhyun, but he doesn’t know _Baekhyun_.

“I’ve never lied,” Baekhyun’s tone is wavering, and he can’t meet Chanyeol’s eyes. “I’ve never been able to lie to you.”

“Then don’t lie now either,” Chanyeol pleads. “What have I done wrong? I thought I was good support for you, but if it’s something I did -”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “No, it’s not something you did.” Looking up, he smiles a little at Chanyeol, a devastating little smile that makes Chanyeol freeze up in his chair. He feels helpless just at the sight. “Please let me explain later. I -” Faltering, Baekhyun’s smile drops. “I’ll explain. Later.”

 

  
“Have I ever really asked you why you came?” Jongdae asks one day, lounging around in Chanyeol’s room. Classes today had ended early, right before lunch, as Junmyeon gave them a chance to recuperate from the onslaught of lessons preparing them for the royal dance. “I mean, a lot of us just entered as a lottery ticket, didn’t we? What about you?”

Chanyeol tears his gaze away from his guitar. It’d been yet another gift from Baekhyun, and the prince had spent ten minutes explaining that yes, Chanyeol could take it home, yes, it was his to keep if he wished. It’s yet another thing he’ll end up missing about the prince when he’s home and gone. He smiles at Jongdae. “Would you believe me if I said my sister was the one who entered me?”

Jongdae stares at him for a moment before he bursts into incredulous laughter. “Really? Your sister?”

Strumming a random chord, Chanyeol chuckles. Saying it aloud now makes it seem every bit as impossible and unbelievable as it had been when he got the announcement a month ago. “Yeah, she sent in my picture and profile without even telling me. She only told her husband, apparently.”

“And then you actually got picked!” Jongdae laughs again, rolling over on Chanyeol’s bed. “That’s fate, Chanyeol. _Fate_.”

Chanyeol looks down at his guitar and bites back a bitter smile. Baekhyun had changed so many things - how he views the world and what he knows of its history, his thoughts on politics and moral issues in society as well as the way he thinks of Elites and Royals. Back in the neighborhood he’d lived in, so close to the slums, it’d been much easier to blame the Royals and High Elites for everything going awry in his life. Getting to know Baekhyun, learning the world connections that go into every decision the royals are connected to - it’s made him realize that not everything is done with a snap of fingers. Junmyeon had drilled that into their heads in the first few lessons, after all. He hopes by the end of their friendship, Baekhyun will have gained new insights to his own country as well.

Briefly, he considers telling Jongdae of their fight - if it could even be called that - and wonders what Jongdae would say in response. He swallows at the memory.

Baekhyun had cut off practically all contact with him afterwards, not providing explanation nor some sort of closure. He wonders if he’s getting kicked out with the next batch, and decides he doesn’t want to ruin his own mood anymore as he stops and turns to Jongdae.

“What about you,” Chanyeol asks. “You don’t seem that jealous of anyone, nor do you seem too interested in the prince. Why are you here?”

Jongdae tilts his head slightly, smile straining for a second. “Call it family duties,” he says at last. “I didn’t exactly have a choice.”

“Well,” Chanyeol says. “I’m up for a story if you are.”

Anything would be better than the turmoil in his head.

Laughing quietly, Jongdae sits up on his bed, wrapping his arms around his legs and diving straight in. Blunt and straightforward, as Jongdae always is.

“I’m the second son of a high elite family,” Jongdae says. This Chanyeol had known already, had known since the moment they got here and whispers went around of Jongdae’s family and status. “It means that I’m not too important to the company’s line of heirs. At least not as important as my brother. Which is why I was sent here. My family has connections with all of the royal families in Korea, so I’ve known the princes since I was a child.”

“All of them?”

“All of them.”

Jongdae’s breath hitches at the last part. If it hadn’t been dead silent in the room, Chanyeol wouldn’t have heard it at all.

“You’ve known Baekhyun before this?” He asks in surprise. Jongdae nods hesitantly.

“We weren’t close,” he says, nervous hand at the back of his neck. “But we’ve met a few times. I tried to tell my parents that I never had feelings for him, that I knew Baekhyun didn’t think of me in that way either. But my family knows that Baekhyun's the fastest route to more power in Korea and the world, and love isn’t normally a factor for political power moves anyway. They push for me to use my family company and my public popularity to try and win."

A burst of frustration shoots through Chanyeol and he taps his fingers on the guitar with more force than necessary. This seems to be a common theme within the high elites, and he can only imagine how many others here are just going through the competition for the greed of power. "They do realize that Baekhyun's choosing a _partner_ , right?" Chanyeol's voice might be more bitter than he'd planned, but he pretends not to notice. "Someone he'll have to live and spend time with. It's not as easy as choosing a high power card as you would in a game."

Jongdae chuckles. It sounds sad. "Of course they don't care. Why else would they have forced me to come?"

If he thinks back on it, Chanyeol can remember the strained expression Jongdae wore while writing his family letters, wonders if this is the reason. It probably is.

For a while, melancholy music is the only thing they hear. “Have you liked anyone before?” Chanyeol asks, trying to lighten the mood. It doesn’t dispel the lingering frustration they’re both feeling but it works to distract them, if only for a moment.

“Not really,” Jongdae says. “Not anything that could be called a crush. I just -” he falters, “I knew someone. He was a constant in my life, and I guess I looked forward to the few times we met every year. But that’s not a possibility now.”

Chanyeol shrugs. “Why not? If you have no intention of marrying Baekhyun, there’s nothing keeping you from getting with whoever you were interested in after this is over.”

Jongdae huffs out a gentle laugh. After a minute, he lays back down on the bed, and Chanyeol goes back to strumming.

“You know,” Jongdae says, soft, “More than anyone here, I want him to choose you.”

Fingers on the guitar freeze up at the words and Chanyeol whirls around in shock. “What?”

Jongdae doesn’t look back at him. “Is that too selfish of me? You might not know what you feel for him yet but it’s so much clearer to an observer. It’s only been a month, but I can tell, you care so much for his happiness and well-being. He deserves that. And you have something no one else here does.”

Chanyeol really thinks Jongdae’s believing too much of him, but he can’t dispute what Jongdae’s saying, either. He stares down at the guitar and sighs. He’s just a friend, he reminds himself.

Just a friend.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having so much fun in Korea, and I've heard Baekhyun's songs in at least five places already. I'm so proud that he's now the top selling solo artist in Korea (first week sales) and I also can't wait for Sehun and Chanyeol to meet Baekhyun in the charts! 
> 
> I'm actually so excited to release the next chapter, so I've been trying to squeeze in time to write whenever I can. The next chapter's going to be jam packed with a lot of things - expect Zitao and Chanyeol interactions, Sehun and Chanyeol dancing together, and Chanyeol's also going to declare something rather surprising.
> 
> Until then, thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

By the end of the week, the whole castle seems to be ready to welcome their guests for the dance. There are white and golden decorations around the entire place, and the grand ballroom is breathtaking with the shimmering silver trees, the huge chandelier lit with real candles instead of the fake ones they always used.

Chanyeol still tries to catch Baekhyun’s eye when he can, and Baekhyun still ignores him, but he placates himself with the thought that if Baekhyun wanted him gone, he’s not cruel enough to send him away without warning. But then again - is he? It feels like the longer he thinks about it, the less he realizes he actually knows about Baekhyun.

In the meantime, he pays attention to Junmyeon’s classes for the first time the last month. According to Junmyeon, the most important visitors are the second and third district royals of Korea, as well as the princes from Thailand, China, and Japan.

He’s long since known that assets - referring to both people and material goods - do affect this competition due to how much Baekhyun takes public consideration into account, knows that it’s probably the only reason that Zitao and Minyoung have been able to stay. He wonders if he should try getting friendly with the other royals to make connections that way, but ends up deciding against it because it’s not him. If he’s going to stay in the competition, he wants Baekhyun to keep him for _him_ , not because a few political allies think he’s fun to be around.

The closer they get to the dance, the more their lessons on politics and foreign affairs increase, as well as their dance practices. Chanyeol is a bumbling fool when it comes to graceful motions and the elegance needed for ballroom dancing, and despite all of Jongdae’s efforts, he doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

“You really are clumsy,” Chanyeol hears behind him, and he almost steps on Jongdae’s toes again. Jongdae whips backwards just in time to avoid it and Chanyeol stumbles, right into Sehun’s tall, broad frame.

“Prince,” Jongdae says, but there’s laughter in his voice. Chanyeol vows to kill him before the night is over.

With a soft sigh, Sehun steadies Chanyeol and bows his head to Jongdae. “Jongdae,” Sehun says, smiling a little. “How are you?”

“Getting all my toes mangled,” Jongdae replies with a little look to Chanyeol. Sehun laughs.

“I can see that. Would you mind switching places for a while?”

Chanyeol’s been staring in shock at the two of them for the entire exchange, but this makes him trip over his own feet. Sehun wrenches him back upright with a grip on his elbow and Jongdae looks like he’s hiding a cackle.

“Of course, Sehun,” Jongdae laughs. “Try not to get hurt.”

Sehun smiles. “I won’t.”

As soon as Jongdae’s gone, Chanyeol turns away from Sehun’s grasp and Sehun steps back and raises his hands in defense. “You’re the one that leaned on me and didn’t move away,” he says before Chanyeol can do anything.

Chanyeol stares at him for a moment before he laughs incredulously and brings a hand to his hair, messing it up. It’s a habit that Yoora had taken so long to make him break, but it’s had an alarming comeback ever since the entire fight with Baekhyun and it doesn’t seem to be going away now.

“What do you want,” he asks, confused and bewildered and a little defeated. Sehun smiles at him and Chanyeol stares warily. “Why are you acting so nice?”

Giving him another innocent smile, Sehun holds out his hand. “Care to dance?”

Sehun’s eyes flash a little with warning when Chanyeol hesitates. “I’d advise you not to say no.” Loosening again, Sehun shrugs and smiles at him easily. “Of course, unless you want to fall over everyone during the real thing.”

The music starts up again from the speakers and Chanyeol heaves a sigh before moving forward, taking the offered hand and letting Sehun pull him closer, gently.

“One, two, three,” Sehun starts, voice softer now, “put your hand on my waist. This is the position you’ll take when you’re dancing with my brother.”

Chanyeol stumbles. Sehun steps back to avoid him. “I’m dancing with who now?”

Rolling his eyes, Sehun grabs his wrist and brings him closer again, annoyance written into his scowl that he erases after a moment. “Have you been paying attention to anything at all? Baekhyun has to dance with all of you at one point in the night. At least once. Whether he goes past that required number is up to him, but point is you’ll dance with him.”

Oh. Chanyeol barely manages to keep up with Sehun’s graceful steps and follows him blindly around the ballroom. “Really?”

Sehun glares up at him. “Yes. Really. Now if you would stop,” Sehun grips Chanyeol’s arms to keep him from moving, “stepping over my toes, that alone would be incredible progress.”

Chanyeol looks at him helplessly. “I don’t know how to dance.”

“I can tell,” Sehun snaps. “I’m not nice the way Jongdae is so I’m going to have you practice until you get it perfectly.”

Chanyeol puffs out his cheeks and exhales, slowly. “Alright.”

They dance for what feels like hours and hours, but whenever Chanyeol asks for a break, Sehun says it’s been fifteen minutes.

“You’ve been saying that for the past hour,” Chanyeol says, but Sehun ignores him. Instead, he tells him small talk should only be invited by the other party and works Chanyeol through how to twirl a partner. Chanyeol seethes internally.

For some reason, he always feels like he needs to prove something to Sehun. Maybe that he isn’t as stupid as Sehun seems to think, maybe that he deserves to be in this competition, maybe that coming here wasn’t a mistake. But the desire to do so is overridden completely by the ache and pain in his legs and feet, and despite the slow pace of ballroom dancing, he’s out of breath and dizzy and overall just miserable.

“Can we please take a short br -”

“My brother’s been distressed,” Sehun interrupts. His voice is small, but the words ring throughout the otherwise empty ballroom and Chanyeol momentarily forgets about his suffering. “I’m sure you can figure out why.”

“Are you saying that it’s my fault?

Well, either way Sehun wouldn’t have been completely wrong. Chanyeol hates that he can’t be sure if he really is the reason.

Sehun snorts and looks down briefly. “I didn’t say it yet,” before the easy expression falls and Sehun sighs, brows furrowing in frustration. “You do know that the next Elimination is in five days, right?”

It takes a moment for the words to sink in, but Chanyeol can only manage a soft “Huh,” when they do. “Time’s gone that quickly?”

Sehun looks very unimpressed. “Yes. And,” They’ve stopped dancing for a minute now, and Sehun’s hands fall from their place on Chanyeol’s shoulder. For some reason, Sehun’s expressions make him seem just that much younger, compared to his blank stares or frowns that give him an untouchable aura. Impatience and frustration had been foreign on Sehun’s hard features at first, but now, Chanyeol thinks he sees more the worried baby brother Jongdae had been talking about. “He asked me if he should make you leave.”

Silence.

Sehun huffs. “Are you not at all worried? Surprised?”

In a daze, Chanyeol focuses back on Sehun. “What?”

He isn’t really surprised. He’d expected to be kicked out sooner or later anyway, but a part of him hurts, a part that he doesn’t know if he wants to recognize. Chanyeol forces a smile.

“I’m just a friend.” The smile slips. “He has no real reason to keep me here.”

One second, Chanyeol’s staring into Sehun’s face, shocked and maybe a little betrayed. The next, Sehun’s hands are gripping onto his shoulders, shaking him, and he looks the angriest Chanyeol’s ever seen him.

“Fucking idiot,” Sehun snarls, “No wonder my brother’s into you, you two were practically made for each other look at how terrible you are at admitting anything emotional."

“What? Sehun -”

“He doesn’t know!” Sehun exclaims, fingers digging into Chanyeol’s skin but the pain isn’t registering. “He wants to keep you here but you haven’t given him any reason to. You’re just setting him up for disappointment, don’t you understand?”

"I thought," Chanyeol falters. "Baekhyun's the one who asked me to be friends, how am I supposed to know what lines I can cross?"

Sehun makes a strangled sound. "How can you want to stay but do nothing to warrant it? This is a competition for _him_ ," he says. "What else do you need to know?

Chanyeol freezes and everything falls into place. Baekhyun is afraid. Just as Chanyeol is. Of what, he can't be certain of, but he has a pretty good idea. Sehun clearly sees the recognition in his face because he scoffs and runs a hand through his hair.

"I told him to keep you here for now," Sehun says, and Chanyeol blinks in surprise. The corner of Sehun's lips twitches up slightly. "I don't hate you, contrary to what you might be thinking. But don't hurt him. He doesn't deserve it."

 _Neither do I_ , Chanyeol wants to say. Because throwing himself into a competition for a cute, kind person is just setting himself up for heartbreak. And maybe - probably - that's what he's been scared of all along. Sehun smiles at him. It's a small smile, but it's the most genuine one Chanyeol's seen today, and certainly the kindest one ever directed at him.

"You do know that he's spent so much more time with you than anyone else?" Sehun says, amused. "You've been here a month and a half and he's seen you almost every day. Don't let him lose you."

“He’s the prince,” Chanyeol says drily, “he can’t lose anyone.”

Sehun chuckles. “If only you’d been there to see his expression last night.”

Chanyeol bites his lip. "You think I would be good for him?"

“I think you could,” Sehun corrects. “I didn’t want him to take the chance before but,” he squeezes Chanyeol’s shoulder briefly. “Maybe it’ll be worth it.”

 

  
“Get to know our lovely Selected,” Kyuhyun finishes brightly. "Soon, you'll be seeing all these ladies and gentlemen in exquisite suits and gowns for our first royal ball. To know who you'll be voting for a little better, we've prepared a more personal interview for all of them. First up, is Lady Nayeong, of the third district."

And so the interviews went on. This episode of the Selection had been a surprise event, not written into their schedules. Apparently, it was a last-minute addition to their individual magazines because Junmyeon wanted to give them another chance to show off their charms before the voting polls.

Honestly, Chanyeol should have been paying attention to all of them, but he only grasps certain parts of the process. Jongdae is light and funny while also clearly making thoughtful statements. Joohyun is graceful yet blunt as always, Sooyoung is a sweetheart, Zitao is confident and well-spoken, Minyoung is similarly self-assured, Yerim is adorably shy and earnest, Yifan has mostly short responses to everything, and then before he knows it, it's his turn.

Seungwoo reaches out for his arm as he's stepping towards the center platform, winking and mouthing good luck. The support makes Chanyeol smile a little, and he sits down on the couch after shaking Kyuhyun's hand.

"So, Chanyeol-ssi." Kyuhyun's expression could only be described as impish. "Rumor goes around the palace that you are quite the contestant. Can you tell me more about that?"

Chanyeol blinks. This is not what he'd been expecting as the first question. "Sorry?"

Leaning a little closer, Kyuhyun smiles at him before whispering loudly into the mic, "A little birdy actually told me that you're the one who yelled at the prince the first night."

Chanyeol almost chokes.

A few gasps and giggles are heard around the back, and when Chanyeol looks to where Baekhyun is sitting, he sees a similarly shocked expression on the prince's face. So it hadn't been Baekhyun who told? But who else could it have - Baekhyun blinks furiously and then whips around to turn towards Sehun, and Chanyeol closes his eyes briefly. Of course. Sehun.

"Yes," he admits reluctantly. "It was me. And I can safely say my sister is probably having a heart attack."

Kyuhyun laughs, and a few of the audience members join in. "Really? And the prince forgave you so easily?"

Chanyeol looks up again and meets Baekhyun's eyes for the first time since that day, tight lips and an unreadable facade that shows no clue as to what the prince might be thinking. He tears his gaze away. "He did." Chanyeol falters and forces a small smile. "I always did wonder why, but I was extremely sensitive that first day and I'm lucky he was so understanding."

"The prince is very considerate," Kyuhyun says with an easy smile. Behind him, Chanyeol sees Baekhyun turn away. "May we get to know why you were so sensitive?"

Chanyeol shrugs. "I was bitter," he says honestly. "My mother is sick and my sister is pregnant, and I was hesitant to leave their side when they need me now more than ever. But I've gotten past that, and it's thanks to everyone here."

Gently, Kyuhyun touches his shoulder, smile softer now. "That would make someone feel guilty, wouldn't it. Speaking of family, you are part of the lower class, which makes you one of the last two low ranking Selected still in the competition. Do you think it affects your chances of winning in any way?"

Well, this is an easy question. "Baekhyun is kind," he says softly, looking at the prince directly even as Baekhyun refuses to turn from his seat. "He cares for everyone and has gotten to know us all as different human beings. I trust that he has kept me here for who I am, not the social rank that I represent. No matter what happens to me, I’m thankful I got to know him."

"You speak very highly of him," Kyuhyun says.

"He deserves it."

“Yes?” Kyuhyun laughs lightly. “What do you think of him as a person?”

At last, this question seems to have caught Baekhyun’s attention. The prince is frozen in his seat, a trembling fist at his side. Chanyeol smiles.

He hopes Baekhyun knows that this was the easiest to answer.

“Someone worth fighting for.”

 

  
The third Elimination comes and goes. There are a few teary goodbyes, reasonable now that everyone’s had more than a month to get to know each other. Baekhyun is closed off during this send-off, choosing to say reassuring words to the eliminated rather than linger with the remaining Selected. Meanwhile, Sehun talks in gentle tones with both Yifan and Jongdae about something Chanyeol can’t hear nor has any interest in. He turns away and leaves as soon as the four eliminated are out of castle grounds.

He doesn’t, however, notice someone tailing him until a hand reaches out and grabs his wrist, turning him around roughly. Huang Zitao, Chanyeol is discovering, can look scarily angry when he wants to.

“Come on, asshole,” Zitao snaps, “We don’t have much time before breakfast.”

“What’s that ‘we’ supposed to mean in your sentence?” Chanyeol asks, dragged along by Zitao’s grip. “Zitao?”

They end up in a small portion of the Waiting Room, and Chanyeol rubs his wrist where Zitao had grabbed him. "What do you want?"

Immediately, Zitao whirls on him.

"What the fuck is it about you?" He demands, scowl deep and ugly. "Why does he like you so much?"

Chanyeol sighs. "What now?"

"I don't get it," Zitao continues like he hasn't heard. "You're not rich. Or famous. Sure you might have big eyes and a pretty face but all of us do. Why are you so special?"

Running a hand down his face, Chanyeol deadpans, "Why don't you ask Baekhyun? He's the one that kept me."

"But _why_." Zitao spits, poking a finger into his chest. "You bring absolutely nothing here so why are people falling over themselves for you?"

Now this is something new.

Chanyeol pauses and looks at Zitao, blinking. "What?"

"And on his dates," Zitao says, like Chanyeol's supposed to understand. "He always looks like he isn't fully focused. Whatever it is going between you two that's ruining him for everyone else, _go fix it_."

If only it were that simple. Chanyeol rolls his eyes.

"If he was interested in you, he would be fully focused whether or not he had problems with me."

For the first time, Zitao's expression cracks a little, surprise and shame flashing in his eyes. It's so unexpected, passing so quickly, that Chanyeol almost doubts that he's seen it.

"Fuck you," Zitao says before he opens the door and slams it on the way out.

Chanyeol collapses onto one of the couches.

 

  
The only thing Chanyeol’s heard in over the past few hours is the sound of the photographer shouting orders at everyone in the shoot, telling Baekhyun and whoever he’s taking pictures with to pose in a certain way, to change their head angles, fix their posture. Chanyeol groans and buries his face in his hands.

“Come on,” Jaemin cajoles, taking his face and lifting it back up. “We need to get you ready.”

“Aren’t I the last one on the list?” Chanyeol watches Doyoung come back in the room with a mountain of clothes through the mirror in front of him and pouts. “There are still two people left before I have to go and it takes an hour for just one person.”

Jaemin gives him a look and Chanyeol sighs. “Alright,” he grumbles as he acquiesces, “Fine.”

With that, Mark starts his makeup, not doing much of anything but bringing out his features just yet. It isn't decided what his first outfit will be, and the makeup needs to match the aura of his clothes. Today is also one of the rare days when Mark is fancying him up, hair coiffed up with a subtle wave. The daily glow up, Chanyeol thinks drily as he stares at his reflection.

“They’re going to take pictures of you two in around five different matching outfits in five different settings,” Jaemin says, sifting through the clothes that Doyoung brought. “What themes do you like? There are like ten here.”

“Just don’t give him anything too fancy,” Doyoung calls. “Not too much jewelry either.”

It’s getting close to two months since he’s come to the Capital for the Selection. In some ways it still feels surreal, but Chanyeol knows that the experience has changed him, wonders how Yoora would react if she knew everything he went through on a daily basis. He’s sure that the aired Selection episodes are just a brief overview of what’s happening to them, clips of Baekhyun’s dates and their conversations in the Waiting Room. They aren’t allowed to watch the episodes themselves, but Chanyeol does think of the cameramen and floating recorders sometimes, wishing he could see exactly how he was portrayed.

“I trust your judgement,” Chanyeol says to Jaemin, and earns a blinding smile. He really does, Jaemin’s been an absolute genius with all his outfits and he’s so lucky he has these three.

Most of the outfits Jaemin picks out for him end up being simple, neutral colored. There’s one in various shades of beige and brown, another in a white shirt and black pants, a more casual outfit in jeans and a loose oversized sweater, a monochromatic one with hues of navy and blue and black - but then he sees the last outfit. Chanyeol looks up at Jaemin in shock and meets amused eyes.

“Red?” Chanyeol asks, dubious. And it’s not just any red - it’s a silk red shirt that shines under the light and doesn’t even have a top button, paired with ripped black jeans and silver earrings. It’s eye-catching. Almost impossible to look away from. It's _sexy_ , and Chanyeol feels strange just looking at it.

Jaemin grins at him. “Look, we need to have at least one thing that makes you stand out. And the shirt is that _thing_.”

It’s only when Chanyeol goes out to see what the others are doing that he understands. He almost bursts out laughing. Minyoung might as well be lying on top of Baekhyun on the couch, her red dress sporting a plunging neckline and an open back. Baekhyun looks so uncomfortable, and Chanyeol can’t help but snort.

The other girls and boys here are also sporting similarly fancy or shiny outfits as they watch the remaining contestants. A glittery rainbow dress, a black skin-tight bodycon dress, a mesh black shirt on one of the guys - he thinks it’s Zitao but he can’t tell exactly since he’s far and it’s dark - and Jaemin nudges his side with what looks like a victorious expression.

"Look at them,” Jaemin says, jerking his chin over to Minyoung. "Domestic couple is a nice concept but we need a cover-worthy picture of you too."

Chanyeol sighs but eventually, once the set has moved from Minyoung to Zitao, he's ushered back into the dressing room while Doyoung talks with some of the photographers about what outfits they could coordinate with Baekhyun first. They tell Doyoung to use the white shirt and black pants, what seems to be Chanyeol's backup whenever he can't find something else to wear. Mark does his makeup the same way they always do with this outfit, green earrings and subtle shadow around his eyes while he touches up his lips, coloring them like rose petals. Chanyeol thinks he looks uncharacteristically delicate here.

"All done," Mark says when he's finished.

Outside, the photographer yells that Zitao is done and announces a thirty-minute break for all of them. Chanyeol glances at the clock. Zitao's shoot has only taken half an hour, but he supposes it isn't much of a surprise. He's a model, after all.

Just a moment after the photographer has called for a break, the door to the dressing room slams open and Chanyeol jumps in his seat, expecting Zitao and turning only to see - Baekhyun. Their eyes meet, Baekhyun frozen where he stands, and Chanyeol just stares. It feels like it’s been years since they were alone with each other like this, since he’s been taken by Baekhyun’s attention like this, and he feels almost raw and uncovered under those eyes.

"Um -"

Chanyeol can’t think of anything to say. He tries to stand, bow, do something, but then Baekhyun storms to him and shoves him back in his chair, hands forceful on his shoulders.

“What did you say to Sehun,” he demands, shaking him. Chanyeol gapes.

“What? Baekhyun -”

"Why is he so adamant on keeping you here?" Baekhyun asks, looking so confused and slightly bewildered and to be honest, so is Chanyeol. Sehun's behavior towards him had shifted so much that he himself had been half convinced it was a dream. "Why did he tell me that I'd regret it?"

Chanyeol purses his lips. "Why did you listen to him?"

And - that might have been the wrong question to ask. Baekhyun scoffs a little and turns away, but his shoulders drop and his hands go loose.

"He told me I was a coward," Baekhyun says, sounding something between annoyed and flustered. His head is lowered, hair hiding his face and Chanyeol wishes he could see his expression. "I've never had friends or contact with people outside my family and the royals but they're different and you - you could see through me so _easily_ and it scared me. I was terrified of someone being able to do that and Sehun knew and told me that if I pushed people away just because of my insecurities I'd lose some of the greatest relationships but -"

Oh, Chanyeol realizes, Baekhyun's trying to be vulnerable this time. The sudden thought makes him stiffen up in his chair, and he grips Baekhyun's arms, telling him to stop. "Baekhyun, you don't have to -"

"No, _listen_." Baekhyun's breaths are faltering, and he still won't lift his head. "No one's been able to do that so quickly before. I've never," he hesitates, "I still want to keep my distance," he whispers. "But I won't be able to anyway."

Chanyeol swallows harshly. "It's been a while," he says, wanting to reach out but he forces himself to keep his hands at his sides. "I missed you."

"You didn't approach me."

"I thought you needed the space." Chanyeol pauses. "And technically we aren't supposed to seek you out first. Privacy stuff."

Baekhyun finally looks up at him at that. "Sehun told me not to let go of you," he says, eyes softening. "To think he'd be the one trying to keep you here."

Chanyeol smiles a little. "Miracles abound."

It brings a slight curl to Baekhyun's lips but it stutters, and Chanyeol tilts his head.

"What else is on your mind?"

"Did you mean what you said?" Baekhyun asks, "at the interview?"

It takes a second for Chanyeol to understand, but he smiles, amused. "Why? You want me to say it again?" He teases, and Baekhyun flushes pink as he moves away.

"Forget it, what am I -"

"I did." Chanyeol grabs Baekhyun's wrists to keep him from going far, turning him around to face him again. "I did mean it. All of it and more."

Baekhyun falls silent at the words, seeming to search for something in Chanyeol's expression. Eventually, he sighs, and a small, fragile smile makes way on his lips. A smile that hasn't been directed at him in so long, and Chanyeol's taken aback at how much it affects him.

"I missed you a lot," Baekhyun admits softly. "I didn't have a single person I could talk to as comfortably, except Sehun, but he'd just say I was being an idiot."

Chanyeol chuckles a little. That does sound like Sehun. Smiling up at Baekhyun, all he can think is that he's so happy that this is over, for now. They have four weeks until the next Elimination, and Chanyeol's sure that it'll be more packed with fights and disagreements. Until then -

Baekhyun smiles at him beautifully.

"I'm glad I have you back."

"You never lost me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korea was a dream, I can't believe I'm going home in a few days :'(
> 
> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos appreciated! 
> 
> Expect a chapter full of the ball I've been teasing for the past two chapters.


	7. Chapter 7

Chanyeol's relationship with Baekhyun changes, little by little. It's almost unnoticeable to him how they shift from the casual friendship they had before to - whatever they have right now. And honestly, Chanyeol doesn't think he can explain what they have in words.

Baekhyun still tries to hide parts of him, getting frustrated whenever he catches himself doing so but clearly hesitating to be completely honest because he doesn’t know what Chanyeol’s reaction will be. Chanyeol still feels empty when he thinks of the chances of him lasting in the competition, or compares himself to the others and wonders how he would ever hold his own against them. They're still cautious and dance around each other a little, but it's gotten better. Much better.

Chanyeol lets Baekhyun see a small part of his life, the part filled with financial insecurity and the worry he’d always had for his family. Baekhyun, in turn, opens up about his past and his relationships a little. He tells Chanyeol of a man named Kim Minseok, who Chanyeol knows already - the prince of the second district. He says that Minseok was as much an older brother to him as his biological one, taking care of him since youth and making sure he was fine whenever he could. 

A part of him is relieved that whether or not he lasts in the Selection, there are people who clearly care about Baekhyun as much as he does.

His relationship with Sehun also changes. Far more abruptly. He seems far more comfortable acting bratty in front of Chanyeol but he’s endeared by it, for some reason. Sehun has a charm for making people fall for him.

Even now, as Sehun ignores all of Chanyeol’s complaints when he drags Chanyeol out of the orchestra room and into the ballroom next door, Chanyeol can’t really refuse him.

“I danced with you for about four hours last time -”

“ _ Four hours -” _

 

“And you’re still a bumbling mess,” Sehun says, opening the doors to the ballroom. “We’re going to make you perfect this time.”

“How did you even know I was there,” Chanyeol demands, though he isn’t really fighting Sehun’s grasp.

“Baekhyun told me,” Sehun replies, not even looking at him as he motions to his bodyguard and makes him turn on music. “He said you’re always either in the orchestra room, your room, or in Junmyeon’s lectures. Get a life. You’re so predictable.”

Chanyeol sighs.

Looking over to the entranceway though, he sees Jongdae come in, and whips to face Sehun. “And you brought an audience?”

Jongdae waves at him with a grin and Sehun rolls his eyes at Chanyeol. “It’s two people. You’ll be in a room full of a hundred. Actually,” Sehun smiles and claps his hands. “Why don’t you watch Jongin? He’s spectacular.”

“Who?”

Sehun ignores him. “Jongin,” he calls, and - oh, Chanyeol’s dumb. The tanned, handsome bodyguard makes his way over to Sehun with Jongdae and smiles a little, all his features transforming with the expression.

“Yeah?”

There’s a similar softness to Sehun’s eyes when he looks at Jongin to the gentility he carries when he’s with Baekhyun. Chanyeol can’t help but wonder what history they must have.

Jongin tilts his head and smiles. “Lead or follow?”

“You follow,” Sehun says, and glances to where Chanyeol is standing. “I’d tell him to teach you since he’s better at dancing than me, but he’s too nice.” Turning back to Jongin, he says, “Go with Jongdae.”

“Don’t be too harsh on him,” Jongin says from the side, patting Sehun’s back as he goes with Jongdae to the dance floor. “You said he improved a lot.”

Chanyeol watches Sehun’s face scrunch up and smiles. “That’s one of the nicest things you’ve ever said about me.”

Sehun rolls his eyes. “Don’t get used to it. Now come on, or I’m going to keep you for another four hours.”

He turns away and drags Chanyeol over to the center floor, but Chanyeol is grinning. “You mean it? I improved?”

“It’s hard not to after practicing that long,” Sehun snaps. “Now shut up and start moving.”

If nothing else, Chanyeol can tell he's gotten better because he doesn't have to struggle to keep up with Sehun anymore. The session today is shorter, too, as Jongdae excuses himself when his stylists come looking for him and Sehun is also called for to pick out his outfit for the ball. Sighing dramatically, Sehun lets Jongin wave away his servants with a promise to be there in ten minutes, and Chanyeol drops into a chair.

“You’ve gotten better,” Sehun says, tone disdainful but his lips twitch up slightly. “Just pray that you won’t trip on the guests in the ball, the Royals are polite but some of the Elite might come after your ass.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “Alright, I get it. I’ll be careful.” And then, reluctantly, “Thank you.”

If Sehun is surprised at the gratitude, he doesn’t show it, just waves Jongin over as they start walking back out.

Just as Sehun's turning to leave, Chanyeol calls after him. "I never got to ask before," he says, and Sehun pauses in his steps. "Why did you tell Kyuhyun that I was the one who yelled at Baekhyun?"

Sehun twists around and gives him an amused smile. "I was the one who wrote all your questions. I was also the one who scheduled the photoshoot so you'd be last. All I did was hope you weren’t stupid enough to waste the chances I gave you." Turning again, Sehun motions towards the speakers. The music stops, and Chanyeol realizes that Sehun - he’s been helping him, in his own way. "I don't think you'll be stepping on too many toes now. I'll be off."

  
  
  


Apparently, yesterday was supposed to be used as a fashion show of sorts to pick out an outfit, and Chanyeol suddenly realizes why Jongdae and Sehun had been dragged out to do so. His own stylists, however, had just decided to postpone it for the day of the ball.

“Do we even need to try on stuff?” Chanyeol had complained when Jaemin and Doyoung hauled him into his room. “I know you’re going to end up putting me in that red shirt anyway.”

Despite his protests, it took two hours for Jaemin to go through his entire closet.

And Chanyeol was right - Jaemin  _ does _ end up putting him in the red silk shirt from the photoshoot, but this time, it’s paired with a black suit jacket that tones down the informality of his similarly dark jeans. His eyeshadow today is a muted silver and black that adds a smokey effect to his eyes, red tones under them, while his lips are colored with a more natural hue. For once, Doyoung also tells Mark to put him in accessories, a few silver chain earrings that frame his face, as well as bracelets and necklaces. 

“Aren’t you going a little… extra,” Chanyeol had asked, “with the makeup today?”

Mark shrugs. “It’s the first ball. We haven’t ever done more than this, it’s the perfect chance.”

Chanyeol frowns. “Well, yes, but -”

“You should show yourself off,” Mark interrupts gently. “You’re a lot more handsome than I think you give yourself credit for.”

“He’s right,” Jaemin chastises when Chanyeol scrunches his nose. “We’re going to make it impossible for the prince to take his eyes off you.”

Doyoung looks like he’s about to say something too, but then the door opens, and Baekhyun’s head peeks inside, an amused smile on his face. “Impossible for me to what now?”

Mark squeaks. Doyoung stares. Jaemin almost wheezes on air. “Nothing, we were talking about Prince Sehun, actually -”

Laughing, Baekhyun closes the door and steps inside, looking around the room briefly before his eyes settle on Chanyeol and smiles. Chanyeol, too, is gaping.

"Your  _ hair _ ," Chanyeol manages. He doesn't think he's breathing properly. Baekhyun's smile goes a little bashful, and he twirls a bit of his hair between his fingers. "You - it's silver."

Eyes crinkling slightly, Baekhyun laughs. "Is it that surprising? I used to dye my hair a lot."

Chanyeol knows. He remembers some of the colors, too - pink, blonde, brown, bright red which Chanyeol recalls most of the nation drooling over - but it's strange, to have gotten used to Baekhyun's black hair for the past two months and see a head of silver now. Strange, but not unwelcome. Definitely not unwelcome.

"It looks great," Chanyeol almost stutters out. "Incredible, really."

"It was a surprise," Baekhyun confesses, "for tonight. But I wanted to see how you'd react." He laughs again when Chanyeol keeps staring, turning to his stylists. “Is there enough time to talk a little? I don’t want to intrude on styling time.”

Jaemin shakes his head, and there’s a growing, lecherous grin on his lips that Chanyeol ignores. “Take him. We don’t need him.”

Chanyeol glowers at him and Baekhyun laughs, though his smile fades to something much more subtle as he looks at what Chanyeol’s wearing. “I don’t think I’ll ever really get used to seeing you like this.”

Chanyeol finally tears his gaze from Baekhyun's hair and lets out a soft chuckle. “Doesn’t suit me much, huh. It still feels weird getting dolled up, believe me.”

“Well,” Baekhyun trails off, coming closer to touch a part of Chanyeol’s fringes. It’s the only part of him that hadn’t yet been perfected, as Mark always leaves gelling his hair to after his makeup is done. Baekhyun seems to like the feeling of it in its natural state, playing with a few strands for a moment before he speaks again. “I wouldn't say it doesn't suit you. You look beautiful.”

Chanyeol chokes, and Baekhyun laughs. This isn’t fair. Baekhyun’s always been eloquent and sharp with his choice of words, but it's worse now that Baekhyun knows exactly how easy it is to fluster Chanyeol and uses the fact to his advantage whenever he can.

"Don't say stuff like that," Chanyeol complains. As if Baekhyun doesn't know how good he looks on a daily basis. And now, with his silver hair, he looks fucking  _ ethereal _ . Pouting, Chanyeol tries to change the subject. “Did you need something, by the way?”

“Hm?” Baekhyun frowns for a second, like he’s trying to remember something, then blinks. “Oh yes, I did.”

“What is it?”

Baekhyun hesitates. "You do know about rebels, right?"

Chanyeol nods slowly. "Yes, what about them?"

Running his fingers through his hair, Baekhyun turns slightly, mood seemingly dampened. "We don't have too many of them, but they do exist. I've talked with my father, and I fear they might use the ball as a distraction to attack since many of the guards will be focused in certain places during that time." With a gentle hand, Baekhyun brushes some of Chanyeol's hair away. "This is a big event. Promise me that you will stay where the guards can see you. That you'll stay safe."

Chanyeol swallows, and the nervousness must be clear on his face because Baekhyun laughs a little. "Don't worry too much," Baekhyun assures. "We haven't had an attack in months, and if we do get another we're plenty capable of handling it."

It's the same thing Chanyeol had been told months ago when he was first Selected, by the guard who came into his house to explain everything. He bites his lip. "What about you?"

Baekhyun blinks, tilting his head. "What about me?"

"You'll be fine, right?" Chanyeol asks, knowing Yixing is always somewhere near Baekhyun's perimeter but wanting the confirmation. Baekhyun pinches his cheek.

"Of course. And besides, I've survived this long haven't I?" He laughs when Chanyeol puffs his cheek out in protest. “Just stay safe.”

Then Baekhyun sighs, leaning away to glance at the clock on the far side of the wall. "I have to go," he says, smiling slightly. He nods over to Chanyeol's trio of stylists, squeezing Chanyeol's shoulder before moving back.

"Thank you for the outfits you put Chanyeol in, and for keeping him company. I've heard a lot about you." Baekhyun says as he walks out. "And I promise, he's impossible to look away from already."

To Chanyeol, he winks. "See you in an hour."

  
  
  


The grand ballroom hasn't changed too much over the past few days. Chanyeol can only name a few decorations and trees that have been moved to different places, and the candles on the chandelier have all been lit with the same orange flame. 

The next hour or so is filled with different guests and royals that introduce themselves to Chanyeol as he walks around. He particularly likes the princesses of Japan, and spends time talking to Sana about this and that until he’s approached by the youngest heir in China, Prince Cai Xukun. Their Korean is stilted, accents slightly audible and word flow irregular, but Chanyeol enjoys their conversations. The two of them are fun and energetic and Chanyeol relaxes in their presence.

He finds Jongdae among the guests after some time, and reaches for him almost desperately. Fun as the other royals are, he needs someone familiar right now, and his relief at seeing Jongdae is what keeps him from noticing the strange look on Jongdae’s face until he gets closer. 

“Jongdae?” Chanyeol asks, smile fading. “Is there something wrong?”

Jongdae looks at him with an unreadable expression before he shakes his head and gives Chanyeol a forced smile. “It’s nothing I didn’t expect,” Jongdae says, looking away, continuing with a murmur that Chanyeol barely catches. “I just wasn’t prepared for it to be so soon.”

Chanyeol opens his mouth to protest, but Jongdae shakes his head.

"Chanyeol." Jongdae's voice is firm. "I'm fine."

Chanyeol smiles. "Well, in any case, you look really good."

Jongdae's eyes widen slightly in surprise as he looks down at his outfit, but it melts into a genuine laugh as he hits Chanyeol's arm. It isn't a lie though. His stylists had gone all out with his leather pants and matching black shirt, smokey makeup and gelled hair and it's a little unfair how well it suits him.

"I appreciate the flattery, but have you looked in a mirror?" Jongdae grins at him. "I'd jump you if you were my type."

“Are you saying I’m not your type?" Chanyeol says, faking hurt, but he smiles back, happy that Jongdae looks more at ease. 

Another hour passes in swift scenes that move from one to the other, passing through people and songs and greetings. Chanyeol already wants to go back to his room and rub his sore feet until they don't feel like falling off, but alas, the Selected are supposed to be prim and proper, and he has to smile through the entire thing.

Chanyeol first meets Prince Minseok of the second district towards the end of the second hour. Minseok is a handsome man, kittenish eyes and a sharp curl to his lips. Despite his rather short stature, it does nothing to diminish his presence, elegance and a certain powerful aura about him that Chanyeol finds himself a little intimidated by.

Yet when Minseok catches his eye, his lips stretch into wide, friendly smile and he walks over after whispering something to the equally attractive man next to him.

"Chanyeol-ssi," Minseok says with a slight bow that Chanyeol returns. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Prince Minseok, this is my personal advisor, Lu Han."

"Just call me Luhan," the pretty advisor says, smiling. He looks way too pretty for his own good. "We've heard a lot about you from Baekhyun."

Chanyeol smiles. "Only good things, I hope."

Luhan rolls his eyes, scoffing. "If only you heard half the things he  _ fuck _ \- Minseok!"

Chanyeol almost gapes at the man. A high advisor cursing at a ball filled with royals and other Elites is definitely not what he'd expected in the first five minutes, nevermind the second district prince kicking said advisor discreetly. Minseok gives Luhan a look before turning to Chanyeol and smiling, starting to walk towards the balconies.

"Don't mind him. Baekhyun's only said good things about you, I promise." 

Chanyeol somehow doubts that this is the full story, but he lets it go and smiles back at the two of them, wondering why exactly Minseok had approached, why he’s leading them towards the secluded decks outside. Maybe to warn him of hurting Baekhyun, especially with how close they are. He isn’t sure he’s quite ready for another one of those talks, but he supposes he doesn’t really have a choice on the matter.

Minseok smiles at his expression. “Baekhyun was right. You think very loudly.”

Gaze snapping to the prince, Chanyeol startles. “What?”

Minseok laughs. “Don’t worry too much. I don’t have much to say.”

A servant comes to them with a tray of drinks that Luhan takes one from, sipping on it as he goes over to the railing and leaves Chanyeol and Minseok a bit further back. Whether because he’s bored or he wants to give them privacy, Chanyeol can’t be sure. Luhan’s probably the most interesting person he’ll meet here today.

“I just wanted to ask you to keep up whatever it is that you’ve been doing,” Minseok says quietly, leaning back against the wall and staring out distantly. “I think that you’re a big part of why he’s held his sanity together through this entire competition. From what I’ve heard Baekhyun say, coming here was not exactly your choice. And you two have created a friendship of the strange development. I might sound a little dramatic, but I can’t help but be worried. For both him and you. So I hope you’ll take care of each other.”

Minseok’s eyes soften. “God knows he needs that now more than ever.”

Oh. Chanyeol swallows at the thought. “Of course,” he says, and Minseok’s eyes shine with something he can’t determine the reason for.

“Well.” Minseok smiles. “That was really all I wanted to say. I’m sure this wasn’t half as bad as what I know Sehun put you through.”

Chanyeol winces just at the memory and Luhan comes back towards them with a guffaw. “Sehun’s so protective. Can’t believe you survived him for over two months.”

“It wasn’t that bad after a while,” Chanyeol shrugs. “And he’s also the one who taught me how to dance.”

The words make Minseok pause. “Did he now?”

Luhan’s lips quirk up slightly. “Seems he likes you. I’m a bit jealous. It took five years for Sehun to get used to me, and he still bristles.”

“Don’t be,” a voice drawls from behind Luhan, and the advisor yelps when Sehun seems to materialize out of thin air, holding a glass of what looks like champagne. Chanyeol finds himself almost envious of how well Sehun fits into his red suit, hair styled elegantly. “And maybe I would be more fond of you if you didn’t treat me like a child. I already have Baekhyun to do that.”

Sneering, Luhan takes Sehun’s glass and drinks from it. “If you didn’t act like a child, maybe I wouldn’t treat you like one.”

“What have you got stuck up your ass tonight?”

“Your attitude.”

Sehun looks like he wants to snap something back at Luhan, but a soft presence slips into the space between him and Chanyeol, and he finds himself staring at a head of silver. Yeah, he’s definitely going to need time to get used to that. Baekhyun slides up to Sehun comfortably and smiles.

“Are you bullying my brother again, Luhan?”

Luhan scoffs. “Yeah, of course it’s all my fault isn’t it.”

“You’re the one holding  _ my  _ glass of champagne.”

Baekhyun’s eyes fill with mirth, and he lets go of Sehun’s arm to reach for Luhan in a quick embrace. “I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you properly back there.” He gives Minseok a hug too, longer this time, and smiles beautifully. “How have you two been?”

“Good,” Minseok says at the same time Luhan huffs, “Absolutely terrible.”

Baekhyun’s brows rise in amusement. “Oh?”

Minseok rolls his eyes. “Ignore him. I’ll talk to you about it later. Where’s Kyungsoo, by the way? And Jongin? Yixing? I haven’t seen them in so long.”

Baekhyun tilts his head back towards the ballroom. “Yixing’s somewhere in there. And you know Kyungsoo doesn’t like crowds, he’s probably with Jongin in a corner.”

“Well then,” Minseok smiles. “I’ll be heading off for a bit. You know where to find me.”

Chanyeol watches in silence as the prince heads out of the balcony, whipping his head back when Sehun gives him a once-over and reluctantly says, “You’ve cleaned up nicely,” before he and Luhan also walk into the dance floor still bickering.

Baekhyun gives him a sidelong glance. “Sorry, you caught Luhan when he isn’t feeling his best.”

Lips curling in half a smile, Chanyeol turns to Baekhyun. “Is he really that different even when he’s in a good mood?”

Baekhyun laughs shortly. “Well, not really. And you," Baekhyun pauses, trailing off as he gets closer, "You look close to death."

Chanyeol groans softly. "Is it that obvious?"

Baekhyun laughs. "No, but I can tell you're getting impatient."

Chanyeol makes a face. "I'm thoroughly exhausted," he admits with a sigh. "I didn't realize how draining this would be."

Smiling, Baekhyun comes to lean out the railing next to him. His eyes are fixed on the horizon, last wisps of purple and red drowning under a sky of darkness. "This sort of thing is really tiring. But we get used to it."

Inside, classical music is still drafting outside with the wind. Chanyeol looks down at Baekhyun, his gelled silver hair and perfect makeup and wishes, not for the first time, that the prince wasn't this beautiful. He swallows.

"Shouldn't you be inside? Going around dancing?" At Baekhyun's curious glance, Chanyeol hurries to explain. "Sehun told me you have to dance with all of us at least once."

"Oh?" Baekhyun's brows rise. "That." Waving his hand, Baekhyun shakes his head slightly. "There are only twelve of you, it doesn't take long to rotate around. But speaking of dances."

Turning to face Chanyeol, Baekhyun smiles and reaches his hand out. "I owe you one, don't I."

Chanyeol stares at the extended arm for a while. “Sehun did try to teach me,” he says, hesitating, “but I’m still clumsy.”

Baekhyun grins and takes his hand. "It doesn't matter, dancing is supposed to be fun."

Chanyeol lets Baekhyun pull him closer with a small smile. His silver hair is sparkling under the moonlight, swaying slightly with the breeze around them. He looks so breathtaking, Chanyeol thinks, and wonders if he really does have a chance, the way so many people around him seem to think. Wonders if he should act on it.

“What are you thinking?” Baekhyun asks, voice almost a whisper. Chanyeol jerks in surprise. He looks down at the prince to try and smile and say it’s nothing, but it’s only then that he notices exactly how close they are, chest to chest with no space between them. His mouth dries.

“It’s nothing,” Chanyeol says after a moment, and Baekhyun laughs. It’s dazzling to see it at this proximity, almost too bright to look at. Everything about him is so beautiful, so mesmerizing, and it hurts to have him this close.

“Sehun taught you well,” Baekhyun smiles when Chanyeol twirls him around.

“I think you have extremely low standards.”

“I didn’t have much of an expectation in the first place,” Baekhyun shrugs, laughing when Chanyeol glares at him. 

There’s silence for a few moments as both of them lean quietly into each other, but then Baekhyun speaks, voice muffled by Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun says softly. “I know this isn’t anything you’re used to, and I wish, I wish I could make this easier for you. This sort of thing is hard to manage even for me.”

“Even for you?”

Baekhyun laughs. “Of course. You think we Royals actually like social gatherings?”

Chanyeol thinks about it for a while, and feels slightly bad about it afterwards. Despite his time with the Elites and Royals, he’s still thinking that they’re just people conditioned for this sort of thing. “I’m sorry,” he says after a minute. “I guess I just never felt like I fit in here.”

“I can tell.” Baekhyun’s sigh is frustrated and tired. “I’m always think about how hard it must have been on you, especially those first few weeks. I’m sorry if I’m not doing enough -”

“What?” Chanyeol gapes, and he stops the dance for a moment to grasp Baekhyun’s shoulders. “You’ve done everything you possibly could.”

Baekhyun looks up at him hesitantly. “Really?”

“Of course.” Honestly, Chanyeol’s just flabbergasted that Baekhyun never seems to be satisfied with himself. “You’re the only one who listened to me when I was out of my mind that first day. I’ve always been thankful. If anything,” Chanyeol swallows, “I’m just worried about doing something that might embarrass you.”

“Well, if that’s your only worry, it’s unnecessary,” Baekhyun says, smiling, “The people love you.”

“Define love,” Chanyeol says dryly, but Baekhyun shakes his head. “Jongdae told me that you don’t pay attention to your popularity polls, I guess he was right.” Baekhyun smiles. “Go check one out. See what Korea’s saying about you.”

Before Chanyeol can say something else, Baekhyun reaches up to his ear, whispering a soft, “Thank you.” His lips brush past Chanyeol’s cheek as he pulls away, and Chanyeol’s left frozen on the spot, not knowing how to respond, what to say. He can’t fathom what the thank you was for in the first place. Baekhyun grins a little at him.

“See you later, Chanyeol,” he says, and then he’s disappearing past the curtains of the balcony, not giving Chanyeol a chance to call out to him.

Chanyeol touches his cheek and blinks.

Fuck, his face is on fire.

  
  
  


While the ball itself was something Chanyeol would not voluntarily put himself through again, he’s grateful that they’ve all gotten a break from Junmyeon’s lessons. They’re supposed to be seeing the royals out over the next few days, and the first to leave are the royals from China. Cai smiles at Chanyeol brightly as he’s preparing to leave, talking a little with Yifan and Zitao too before he’s off in a limo, probably to the airport. Sana too, is gone after a few hours, with a last, amused little pat to Chanyeol’s cheek.

One by one, they start disappearing, until the castle feels barren without their presence. The only ones left are Minseok and Luhan, as they’re staying for the next few days and going over some problems within Korea with the first district royals.

He wonders if he should talk to either of them again. 

There are things he wants to ask Prince Minseok about, things he wants to ask Luhan about too. Things about Baekhyun, whether or not they think he’s alright, and Chanyeol really wants the opinion of someone so close to Baekhyun. But they catch him before he manages to make up his mind.

"Do you have time?" Minseok asks after lunch, Luhan in tow behind him sipping from a wine glass. Luhan, Chanyeol is learning, has a deep fondness for alcohol. He wonders if royal advisors are allowed to be like this, but then again, who is he to judge?

Following Minseok out to the gardens, Chanyeol’s offered small pastries and cakes by a passing servant, and Minseok sits down on the ledge with a warm gesture. It’s almost off-putting how similarly he and Baekhyun act sometimes, but Chanyeol supposes it’s because they’ve spent so much time together as children and grew up together.

“So,” Minseok says, smiling. “I wanted to talk to you, but it seems you had a few things to say to me, too.”

Chanyeol’s eyes widen. “Oh? Um.”

“You were boring holes into his head during dinner yesterday,” Luhan calls over from the other side of the garden, and Minseok smiles a little when Chanyeol sputters. “At least try to be less obvious.”

Minseok glances over at Luhan briefly before tilting his head. “So what did you want to ask me?”

“Well,” Chanyeol says sheepishly, “I just had a few questions. About Baekhyun?”

Minseok hums in response, so Chanyeol continues. “Everyone keeps telling me that Baekhyun acts differently around me. Do you,” Chanyeol winces a little, “How do I know if he’s comfortable with me? And what should I be doing for him?”

Minseok blinks. “Well, what do you feel for him?”

Chanyeol opens his mouth, but he finds that he has no answer. This is the first time someone other than Baekhyun has asked of his own feelings, and to be thought of like this by the second district prince, who he hasn’t even met before yesterday, is… jarring. Although, to be fair, the stories Baekhyun has told him make it feel strangely like he’s known Minseok for longer than just the past twenty hours. He offers a small smile.

“I don’t know yet.” It’s the truth. A part of Chanyeol knows he’s gotten fond of Baekhyun over the past two months, but he’s still struggling to figure out whether his feelings go deeper than that. “And I’m not sure if Baekhyun has also told you about this, but we had a fight.” Minseok nods in encouragement, and Chanyeol relaxes just slightly. It feels nice talking about these things to someone who isn’t involved in the competition, someone who has a complete outside perspective.

“I think we were both keeping ourselves reserved,” he admits. “Baekhyun has a habit of hiding the parts of himself that I think he feels are disgraceful or inappropriate, and I also,” Chanyeol falters, “I also tried to keep a distance. Without realizing it.”

Minseok’s smile is soft and understanding. “Can I ask why?”

Chanyeol swallows. “I’m a lower class civilian. I have nothing special I can offer to him, and I was afraid that it would drive us apart. Because there are times I can’t understand the problems he talks about, and I know it’s the same for him. I wanted to be a good friend for him, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”

“You thought you weren’t enough for him,” Minseok says. It isn’t a question. Chanyeol nods. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

Chanyeol purses his lips. “I think I did this without even knowing. I’d be frustrated that I couldn’t give him good insight into what he was dealing with, or I’d think of something to say but end up staying quiet because I thought I’d look like a fool.”

“Well, it sounds like you already know your problem and what’s wrong,” Minseok says. There’s a note of something in his voice, almost sounding like he’s - impressed? “Of course, I understand that you might not feel comfortable talking about others’ problems if you don’t think you have the right perspective, that it’s a risk for you. But honestly? Everything is. And communication is always key."

Taking Chanyeol’s hand, Minseok presses something small into his palm. “I didn’t have the chance to give this to Baekhyun yet, can I ask you to do that for me?” He smiles when Chanyeol nods. “I can’t expect you to do anything ridiculous, but do try to look out for Baekhyun. He’s always been a rather fragile person when it comes to the things he cares about.”

“Yeah,” Luhan says, coming back from the railing. His glass of wine is almost empty, and his expression looks more guarded, somber. The change in attitude would have had Chanyeol reeling if not for being used to the High Elites’ conflicting personalities by now. “Get to know him a little better. You’ll see why he’s like this.”

It’s only after they’re standing to leave that Chanyeol takes a look at what Minseok had given him. They’re two necklaces, identical silver chains and small music note pendants on both. It looks like it could be real silver, but he honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Turning to Minseok in question, all he gets is an enigmatic little smile.

“I heard you make music,” Minseok says. “There’s one for each of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY this is so late alakfsj 
> 
> I wanted to get more chapters up before the start of school but I found myself really busy helping my dad out with his students and taking care of my brothers and I've just generally been a mess :((( 
> 
> God I don't want to go back to school


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongdae's relationship with the second prince of Korea and his advisor is revealed - slightly

Dinner tonight passes without much fanfare. Leeteuk stands to say things to Minseok and Luhan about their presence here, and then the meal is over and they’re - they’re going to be gone the next morning. He’s walking with Jongdae back to their separate rooms when he thinks he hears something behind them, something that sounds a lot like Jongdae’s name.

Chanyeol stills and frowns. “Did you hear something?”

Jongdae blinks rapidly before his eyes widen and he starts speed-walking down the hall. “No. We should really get back -”

"Hey,  _ Jongdae!" _

Chanyeol watches Jongdae's eyes fall shut in what looks like barely restrained frustration as he turns.

"What."

This is a tone Chanyeol's never heard from Jongdae before. He knows for sure he never wants to be on this side of Jongdae's anger when Luhan appears, hair slightly disheveled but still looking so impossibly perfect. Luhan throws Jongdae an icy look. Chanyeol is so confused.

"Are you really going to do this?"

"I have nothing more to say to you," Jongdae replies, his voice just as cold. And apparently this is the product of an unfinished argument, because the ensuing dialogue has no context whatsoever and sounds like a continuation of a preexisting disagreement.

"You'll never get anything from running away," Luhan spits. "Why are you both just avoiding everything?"

“What,” Jongdae scoffs, “just because you’re his personal advisor means you can spout dating advice too?”

“I never said that!"

"Well it sure sounds like you're doing it."

"Maybe if you didn’t just ignore me for the past four months or so this would have been different,” Luhan says, pointing an accusing finger at Jongdae. “You’re only hurting each other. Do you know how  _ off _ he’s been because of you?”

Jongdae's expression cracks a little at the last part. "I'm just trying to protect him," he says, and the waver in his words has Luhan pausing, too. “You know that.”

Luhan sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Same fucking thing he said.”

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol manages, and they both swivel to him, seemingly having forgotten he was right next to them. “What?”

Jongdae opens his mouth, closes it, hesitates, and opens it again. Luhan beats him to the punch.

“It’s nothing,” the advisor says with a sigh and a wave of his hand. He looks very tired, suddenly. Then he glances at Jongdae. “I’m going back to Minseok.”

Jongdae doesn’t grace him with an answer, just a short nod. Luhan’s eyes soften slightly. “I worry for both of you,” he says, lips in a tight line. “Don’t beat yourself up too much about this.”

It’s only after Luhan’s disappeared back into the hall that Jongdae lets out a deep exhale, burying his face in his hands. Chanyeol wraps an arm around his shoulders despite his confusion and tries to get Jongdae to look up, but he stays that way for at least another few minutes until he straightens and his expression is schooled into a pleasant smile.

"Don't worry, Chanyeol," Jongdae says, but he sounds like he doesn’t believe himself. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Chanyeol doesn’t think he’d be able to gather his thoughts even if he tried. But Jongdae shakes his head, smiling slightly up at him.

“I’ll tell you about it later,” Jongdae says softly. “Come on, we should sleep early tonight. He and Minseok are leaving at dawn.”

Chanyeol frowns, but he can’t argue because Jongdae starts walking at a brisk pace back down the hall and it takes him a few jogs to catch up.

He leaves Jongdae at his room and prepares to walk up the last staircase to his own floor, but there’s a tap at his shoulder, and a part of him wishes that it’s Baekhyun, knows that it isn’t without even turning his head.

It’s Joohyun.

“You look disappointed,” Joohyun says lightly, and it takes a moment for Chanyeol to realize that she’s teasing him. “Were you hoping for the prince?”

Chanyeol sputters, but he can’t really refute her. Joohyun smiles slightly. “Come talk with me.”

She’s the reason Chanyeol finds himself in the big Waiting Room, a cup of steaming hot tea in front of him as Joohyun sips quietly. “Why -” he swallows, “Why did you call me out?”

Joohyun glances up at him with an amused little smile. “Don’t look so scared, Chanyeol. I just wanted to ask you something.”

Chanyeol winces. “Is it about Baekhyun?”

The question makes Joohyun laugh a little, and she sets down her cup of tea gently. Everything about her reminds Chanyeol of what a proper princess should be, and he wonders what her relationship with Baekhyun is, wonders if the prince sees the same qualifications everyone else sees in her. He catches his own thoughts and blinks. Is this jealousy?

“No. I wanted to ask you something about yourself, actually.”

Chanyeol opens his mouth, closes it. “Oh,” he ends up saying. “What is it?”

The look Joohyun gives him is gentle and yet knowing. “I don’t know you that well,” she confesses. “But I know Jongdae. We’ve been in interlacing business circles since we were children, and I know that he does not easily give his trust to anyone. Yet he did, for you. I also,” she smiles, “know Baekhyun, have known him since I was young. And he is keen, guarded, despite how soft he may seem. He does not give his heart to anyone. You are also the exception to this rule, I’m sure you can understand why I’m curious.”

Chanyeol shrugs helplessly. “I don’t know, honestly. Jongdae just approached me that first day in the plane, and Baekhyun -” he exhales shakily, looking down, “I don’t know what he sees in me. I have no idea how I’ve lasted this long.”

Joohyun is quiet for a moment, but then a small, delicate hand touches Chanyeol’s, and she squeezes softly. “We Elites have been in political and strategic affairs ever since we can remember. We see all sorts of people, learn to read who is honest and who is not. And you,” she taps Chanyeol’s head, “have never lied. It’s something that draws people to you, even if you may not recognize it as a strength or even notice it about yourself at all. I can safely bet that Jongdae saw that in you and was attracted to that. Baekhyun, too."

Chanyeol chuckles. “Don’t know if that’s a good thing.”

Joohyun shrugs. “It is a double edged sword, depending on how you use it. But I think it’s done you well so far.”

Chanyeol smiles up at her. “Did that answer whatever question you had about me?”

For a split second, Joohyun’s expression changes. She opens her mouth but seems to think better of saying what’s on her mind, and the easy smile returns to her lips.

“For now.”

  
  


 

The air around them the next morning is tense, though maybe Chanyeol’s overdramatizing everything because of the fight yesterday. Jongdae bows his head and refuses to look up at Minseok when he’s saying his goodbyes, and Chanyeol thinks he sees a flash of hurt on the prince’s face, there one second and gone the next. Luhan stands behind Minseok and looks down at the ground determinedly before he turns and walks to the car waiting for them, even with a few contestants left to exchange greetings with. His steps sound strangely heavy in the silence of the morning.

Minseok stares back at his advisor for a few seconds, but he moves from Jongdae to Chanyeol and smiles a little at Chanyeol’s expression, recognition on his features, like he’s realized that Chanyeol figured it out.

“Please take care of them,” Minseok says softly, and Chanyeol opens his mouth briefly, closing it when he finds that he has nothing to say. He nods once and Minseok pats his shoulder, looking like he wants to tell him something but hesitating to do so. In the end, Minseok purses his lips and walks back to say his last words to Baekhyun and Sehun and then he steps to Luhan, getting into the car without looking back.

Next to him, Jongdae releases a breath that Chanyeol feels from how his shoulders relax slightly, and Baekhyun turns back towards them. His eyes meet Chanyeol’s but he doesn’t smile today, gaze sliding down to Jongdae as he bites his bottom lip.

The question in his expression is clear.

Covering his mouth with a fake cough, Chanyeol sends him the hand motion they’d made weeks ago. They hadn’t needed to use it in a while, and he almost fears that Baekhyun won’t notice, but the prince blinks a few times and smiles slightly. With the assurance that Baekhyun has seen and understood, Chanyeol wraps an arm around Jongdae’s shoulder as the others break off in small groups and head back to the castle, keeping it there almost protectively.

“Are you okay?” He asks.

Jongdae's smile is small and sad. “Yeah. I will be.”

He doesn’t elaborate, and Chanyeol doesn’t ask him to. During the rest of the day, Jongdae spends time by his side, quiet as he works on something that Chanyeol doesn’t inquire about. 

It’s silent, and Chanyeol feels like Jongdae’s forcing himself to get over the torrent of emotions that he must be feeling, the ones Chanyeol had glimpsed rushing through his eyes during his confrontation with Luhan.

Jongdae, as all other Elites, hides a part of himself behind shadows of doubt and self-deprecation. Chanyeol’s only been with a few of them so intimately but he knows how much family, honor, and reputation mean to them. He wonders if Jongdae thinks showing these emotions would make him seem weak, or if he genuinely has a reason to hide his feelings like this. Knowing Jongdae’s down-to-earth personality, however, he’d bet more on the latter.

He just wishes Jongdae wouldn’t blame himself for whatever problems are going on with him and Minseok. 

“This isn’t good for you, you know,” Chanyeol says softly once they’re in the privacy of Jongdae’s room. “Bottling up emotions. I might not be the best person to ask for advice with coping mechanisms or admitting things up front, but I worry about you.”

Jongdae frowns a little as he turns to Chanyeol and Chanyeol winces. Nice as Jongdae is, Chanyeol knows he’s been incredibly sensitive the past two days and knows much of it is because of Minseok and Luhan. He’s half-expecting to get kicked out of Jongdae’s room and wonders if he should have waited longer to say something, but he also knows that if enough time passes, Jongdae will probably pretend nothing happened and ignore his feelings forever.

Eventually, Jongdae’s expression cracks.

“You won’t tell anyone?”

Chanyeol doesn’t bother telling Jongdae that he has no one to gossip about this with. He nods, and Jongdae blinks quickly, like he’s not sure what to do.

“Take your time,” Chanyeol smiles at him. “I won’t force you to talk if you don’t want to.”

But Jongdae shakes his head, gaze falling to a distant point somewhere on the far corner of the wall. “No, you’re right, I think it’ll be better for me.”

“Luhan’s one of my best friends,” Jongdae says at last, once he seems to have figured out where to start. “In the beginning I mostly just interacted with Minseok. When we were children we just kind of found each other whenever we could, and something happened,” Jongdae shrugs, “I lied to you that day when you asked me if I’d ever liked someone, by the way.” His chuckle is bitter and dark and Chanyeol swallows when he hears the sound, such a contrast to the part of Jongdae he knows. “It was far more than a simple friendship. But it never would have worked out.”

“You don’t know that,” Chanyeol says softly, but Jongdae looks away and chuckles, smile lingering on his lips in a more sad way.

“Luhan and I started talking later on. Minseok and I got closer when we were teenagers and Luhan tried to test the waters about my feelings for him, the overprotective friend that he is. But while he was trying to interrogate me, we just kind of -” Jongdae bites his lip, “clicked. I haven’t seen him directly in so long and I can’t believe I just yelled at him like that.”

Chanyeol softens a little at what Jongdae tells him. He’s never experienced love outside his family before. All the people who might have been interested in him, romantically or platonically, were driven away by his lack of time, lack of freedom, inability to do anything that wasn’t for his family. Even the ones who stayed a little got fed up with how he never made time for them in his life, despite knowing it was because he needed to get the money for his mother and sister.

He doesn’t blame them. Friendship is a mutual understanding and effort, and at the time he had neither. But it also means he doesn’t know what this sort of continued friendship feels like, especially the complicated ones between Elites who have seen each other since they were children. 

“Things like that happen,” he assures Jongdae nonetheless. “I’m sure he can understand you too. And Luhan - I think he’s a good person. I don’t know him well, but he seems very protective. He’s a bit like Sehun. If you two are really that close I know you’ll resolve it.”

Jongdae stares up at the ceiling. “I hope so,” he says. “I didn’t expect to lose two people because of this competition.”

Chanyeol opens his mouth, but he’s finding he has nothing to say to this. He wishes he could be more help to Jongdae, and a little part of him hates that all he can do is hear Jongdae out.

“They’ll stick around,” he says finally. This, he can say with confidence. He hasn’t seen much of Minseok and Luhan, and he definitely hasn’t been with them nearly as long as Jongdae has. But he’s seen how much they care for each other. “They care about you a lot, you know.”

Jongdae looks up at him briefly and smiles. “Yeah.”

  
  
  


“So why is it that you called me out at six in the morning?”

Sehun rolls his eyes. “You say that like you’re surprised.”

Chanyeol is suprised. He’s not sure why Sehun didn’t think he would be. How else should he have reacted when the lights in his room turned on without warning, bathing him in too-bright-for-six-AM light and forcing him to sit up only to see two people standing there watching him sleep?

“You’re not so busy that you only have time right now."

“I just wanted to annoy you.”

Chanyeol’s about to snap a retort, but Sehun shoves a pastry into his mouth before he can. Behind him, Jongin is laughing. Chanyeol merely glares.

“You’ve met Kyungsoo before, right?” Sehun asks, and Chanyeol forces himself to swallow a bite of the pastry. Chewing on something is helping him get his mind more alert, and he blinks a few times to clear his head. He nods.

“Good.” Taking out a piece of paper, Sehun hands it to him, and Chanyeol sees that it’s a map of the castle interiors. “Technically I’m not supposed to give you his information, but he seemed to like you well enough. Go to him whenever you need to see Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol frowns. “What?” His voice cracks from the lack of usage through the night and he grimaces, clearing his throat. “Why would I need to go to him for Baekhyun?”

Sehun rolls his eyes. “I think you’re underestimating the duties of Royal Prince,” he says dryly. “The next two weeks are going to be hell for him, trying to balance being with all of you and the work he has.”

Chanyeol runs a hand down his face. “He’s going to overwork himself, isn’t he.”

“Of course he is,” Sehun says, before he glances at the clock. “Alright, I have to go. You’re welcome.”

Still grumpy from being woken so suddenly, Chanyeol only barely manages not to snap at Sehun, and he mutters to himself about princes and brats until the sun is finished rising. He knows he won’t be able to fall asleep again, and he spends the rest of the time before breakfast trying to figure out exactly where Kyungsoo’s workroom is as if staring at the map will give him the answers. He wonders if he’ll really have use it, or if Sehun really just wanted to annoy him this badly.

  
  
  


As it turns out, Sehun was right - as always - Chanyeol hardly sees Baekhyun at all the next few days, and the next time they have more than just a few minutes together is far into the week.

Chanyeol can’t help the twinge of disappointment he feels at the lack of time - whether he’d like to admit it or not, he’s missed Baekhyun, missed their long, casual conversations. But he knows Baekhyun has been incredibly overworked with the political management and trying to plan something with Minseok, so he can’t blame him for not having time.

Still, Baekhyun manages to find him after dinner. He looks exhausted, and Chanyeol’s surprised Baekhyun managed to make time for him, but more than anything he just regrets having called out the prince for something that seems so trivial now, in the face of Baekhyun’s exhaustion.

A better look at the prince lets Chanyeol see how his cheeks are slightly hollow, the dark circles his makeup haven’t been able to cover up. He frowns and pulls Baekhyun into the garden, and Baekhyun, despite his surprise, follows him without protest.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asks, but he isn’t fighting Chanyeol’s grip. “Is there somewhere else you wanted to go?”

“Why didn’t you tell me how tired you are?” Chanyeol’s frowning. He realizes this, and Baekhyun seems surprised to see the expression etched onto his face because he reaches up with a hand, easing the creases on his forehead.

“What are you talking about?”

Chanyeol huffs. “Don’t lie to me, Baekhyun.”

The words are reminiscent of the fight they’d had not long ago. Baekhyun freezes up slightly and Chanyeol wonders if he’d gone too far, but there’s a gentle smile on his face that spreads and Baekhyun drops his hands to hold onto Chanyeol's.

“I’d rather spend time with you,” Baekhyun says softly. “I’m not lying about that.”

Chanyeol feels his cheeks flush a little at the words, with how sincerely Baekhyun is looking at him, but he can’t just let this go, either.

“But I don’t want to see you tired.” Chanyeol gestures vaguely around them as if the motion could show his frustration clearly. “You - you’re so busy all the time and I know that and I feel bad for calling you out when you should be sleeping rather than spending time with me.”

“Chanyeol -”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Chanyeol asks.

Baekhyun falls silent at that, a part of him looking surprised, as if he really hadn’t expected Chanyeol to realize how off-kilter he’s been the past few days. As if he still isn’t used to someone really caring for him.

“I’m worried about you, Baekhyun,” he says more quietly. “The more I get to know you the more I get to know how you put away your own needs to meet other’s favors. I’m scared that one day you’ll just collapse.”

For a minute, Baekhyun bites his lip and looks down, not really meeting Chanyeol’s gaze. But it doesn’t feel like he’s trying to escape the line of questioning, more like he’s gathering his thoughts. 

"Physical exhaustion is one thing," Baekhyun starts slowly, "but I'm also very, very exhausted and tired mentally. It's not just my body. When I'm with you I feel like a little weight's been pushed off my chest. Please don't hesitate to reach out." Baekhyun's smile wavers a little as he brushes some of Chanyeol's hair from his eyes. "It helps me just as much as I try to help you."

The admission has Chanyeol biting his lip, but he forces back the objection at the tip of his tongue in favor of taking out a small box he’d put into his pocket. Baekhyun glances down at the black casing and blinks.

“What is that?”

“It’s from Prince Minseok,” Chanyeol says, opening the box and taking out the necklaces. He’d considered putting one of them on, but it felt weird somehow, to do it without Baekhyun. “He gave them for both of us, but I didn’t get a chance to give it to you before.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen at the pendant necklace, taking in the piece of jewelry with a soft gaze. “Of course Minseok would surprise me like this.” He smiles up at Chanyeol. “Can you help?”

It takes a moment for Chanyeol to recognize what Baekhyun’s asking, and he nods with a lump in his throat as Baekhyun turns his back to him. The silver feels heavier in his hands, and the way it catches the light as it moves makes Chanyeol’s breathing hitch slightly. Gently, Chanyeol angles the necklace - short as it is - away from Baekhyun’s hair so it doesn’t get tangled. Baekhyun turns around once it’s settled and smiles at him.

“Come here, I’ll help you with yours.”

“Um,” Chanyeol’s voice dies in his throat in the face of Baekhyun’s shining eyes, and he has to clear it once before he speaks again. “Is it okay for me to wear this too? The other contestants, won’t they…”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “It’s fine, I’ve given them plenty of gifts.”

But this is different, Chanyeol wants to say. This is a gift from arguably Baekhyun’s closest friend, for just the two of them to wear. He feels a little twinge in his chest at the mention of Baekhyun’s own presents to the others and flinches at his own train of thought as he lets Baekhyun maneuver him around. Is he jealous?

He can’t tell, but the thoughts and the protest lingering on his lips fade with a stutter when he feels gentle hands on his shoulder, the warmth of another body so close to his own.

Putting the necklace on Chanyeol means that Baekhyun has to rise on his tip-toes to reach comfortably, and Chanyeol almost freezes at the intimate position. But they’d danced before, hadn’t they? It feels strangely more nerve-wracking like this. Or maybe he’s just making this up in his head.

“There,” Baekhyun says, voice so close to Chanyeol’s neck that he jumps a little. When he turns around, Baekhyun has the softest smile on his face. “There we go.”

Chanyeol’s mouth is dry. This is bad. This is very, very bad.

But when Baekhyun tilts his head at him in question at the silence, all he can do is smile helplessly.

He knew this was bound to happen.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS IS LATE
> 
> school's been getting on my ass but I also spend an unhealthy amount of free time in the dance studio at my HS so that's been - almost impossible to balance.
> 
> BUT BUT BUT I have a surprise coming tomorrow (oof is this a double update?) to make up for this rather short and very late update, and another surprise announcement in tomorrow's chapter. you can expect a lot of zitao and finding more about his personality. maybe a little yifan too - I know I've been ignoring a lot of characters to focus on jongdae and baekhyun and chanyeol but I promise I'm getting there!! 
> 
> thank you so much for reading, comments and kudos are much appreciated@


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a few moments in the palace.... in Jongdae's point of view.

 

 

Jongdae freezes when he sees Minseok across the hall.

In the back of his mind, a voice reminds him that he expected this. He knew that eventually, he'd see the second prince of Korea during the Selection. He just hadn't expected his own traitorous reaction to seeing his unfairly beautiful face again.

They were never incredibly close - at least, not the way Minseok and Baekhyun are. But they’ve been a constant in each other's lives for almost twenty years now, and that means something. What they had, meant  _ something _ . But now whatever the scraps of their relationship could have been is gone, scattered. Not for the first time, Jongdae wishes he’d never been picked for this god awful contest.

There’s Luhan next to Minseok too, as he always is. The advisor is beautiful like usual, doe-like features and a pretty smile lifting the corners of his lips. Jongdae wonders how long it’ll take for Luhan to track him down and demand to know why he wasn’t responding to any of his messages.

“Jongdae?”

Whirling around in surprise, Jongdae’s met with Baekhyun’s tilted head, eyes blinking up at him.

“Is something wrong?”

Jongdae almost wants to tell Baekhyun everything, but he can’t. It wouldn’t make a difference, anyway. He forces a smile at the prince, but if Baekhyun’s narrowed eyes are anything to go by, it’s very unconvincing.

“Everything’s fine, Baekhyun,” he tries to tell the prince. “Really.”

“You’re normally a much better liar.”

“Baekhyun -”

But Baekhyun is already scanning the room for something, and realization dawns on his expression when he catches sight of Minseok. “Ah,” he says softly. “I did hear things.”

Jongdae stiffens. “What?”

Baekhyun touches his arm lightly and smiles at him, ever so gracious. It helps relax Jongdae, if only a little. “Nothing much,” Baekhyun says, “And definitely nothing the public knows, I promise. But he talked about someone, sometimes. So did Luhan. He only ever showed such interest in one person throughout the years, you can’t blame me for being curious.”

Jongdae opens his mouth to protest it all, but one look from Baekhyun silences him.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Baekhyun says gently. “I’m here.”

The prince disappears afterwards, back into the crowd and off to greet more people. Jongdae leaves for the bathrooms and wishes he could disappear for a night.   
  
  
  


 

“What will you do now?” Baekhyun asks softly, still holding onto Jongdae. He’s patient as he always is, eyes kind and ever so gentle as they roam over Jongdae’s figure, concern brimming in their depths. Jongdae sniffles as he moves away slightly, looking at the floor.

“Just kick me out.” He looks up at Baekhyun and swallows. “Please.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen, and he rushes to hold Jongdae’s arms, trying to get Jongdae to look at him. “No, Jongdae, please. Don’t make me do that, you’ve only just met after so long. You know if you go back your parents will just send you on business trips again."

“But there’s no other way,” Jongdae says helplessly. “We, we can’t. He can’t, and I can’t do anything as a competitor.”

“You can’t know until you try,” Baekhyun argues. “I don’t want to tell you to do anything but I can’t watch my friends tear themselves apart.”

Wrapping his arms around himself, Jongdae shrinks, shoulders caving in and posture slumping dejectedly. “We’re not even that close,” he attempts to say, but he sounds more like he’s trying to convince himself. “I - I'm not good for him.”

Baekhyun’s hand is gentle but firm on his shoulder, and Jongdae wishes, not for the first time, that the prince didn’t have a talent for seeing right through people. “He cares about you so much,” Baekhyun says lowly. “But you know that.”

Jongdae flinches, but Baekhyun keeps talking. “Ever since we were young your parents tried to push us into a relationship and Minseok knew that, so he kept quiet. Even though he knew we never felt anything for each other, he wished the best for you and he knew that the best for you was the best you could do for your family.” With a sigh, Baekhyun runs a hand through his hair. “When will you break free from that neverending cycle?”

“You’re the same with the public,” Jongdae retorts, but the prince only smiles at him. For a moment, it almost looks sad.

“Yes,” Baekhyun murmurs, soft, “But I’m trying not to compromise my happiness.”

Jongdae bites his bottom lip. He wishes he could say the same. “I’ll be fine,” he whispers. “

“How can you say that so sadly and expect me to believe that you’ll get over him?” A long sigh slips past Baekhyun’s lips, but he lifts a hand to cup Jongdae’s cheek. “How can you say that when I’m sure you’ve seen how he lights up at the sight of you?”

Jongdae laughs, the bitter sound escaping his lips with a huff of air. “How can you be saying this when I’m supposed to be in love with you?”

“You aren’t  _ supposed  _ to be in love with anyone, Jongdae. This Selection is to choose a future ruler for me, but feelings are complicated and no one can control them,” Baekhyun tells him. “You can’t decide to love me when you don’t, and I’m sure not even half the competitors like me as a person anyways, they just want the crown or they’re here by chance. And you’re here because of your family.”

When Jongdae opens his mouth, expression betraying how torn he is, Baekhyun smiles and takes his hands, holding them gently. “I know you’re confused and conflicted, Jongdae. But please believe that I won’t ever blame you for this. Nor will my parents. And I know that in your heart, you know what you want.”

Jongdae stares, for a while.

"Chanyeol's lucky to have you," he says at last, hiding a small chuckle behind his hand when Baekhyun's eyes widen and pink flushes his cheeks.

“You’re acting like you already know my choice.”

Jongdae smiles at the prince. “Doesn’t everyone?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THE SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
> 
> guys don't worry i know i sound sleep deprived and overworked but i promise it's not because of the fic!!! it's honestly just my high school being very inconsiderate ><
> 
> in any case, the special announcement that i had was that i will be creating a sort of epilogue to this series. you'll get to see chanyeol and baekhyun after this is all over, and there will be a bunch of other characters as well. 
> 
> this wasn't a full update, i know, but i did want to put in a different point of view for once. and i hope you guys enjoyed. kudos and comments are always appreciated!!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically ChanBaek being soft together and Chanyeol figuring stuff out on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zitao and Yifan!!!! my babes they get more screentime in this yeeeeee
> 
> Also I'm so sorry for the late upload!!! Pls read my end notes where I attempt to explain myself but I'm just so sorry.

The Selection continues as usual the following morning. It’s almost comical how things return to the way they were. Whatever traces of Minseok and Luhan there had been are almost completely gone now, but every morning Mark takes care to keep Chanyeol’s pendant necklace tucked neatly beneath the shirt or sweater Jaemin puts him in, and the sight brings the slightest smile to his face.

Junmyeon also deems that they’ve had long enough a break from their studies, and then they’re back to being in the classroom for five hours a day.

Chanyeol supposes it isn’t too bad though. Before, when they had between twenty and thirty people, their classes were held mostly in lecture form. Now, however, with only twelve of them in the room, Junmyeon teaches them based on the foundation of studies they’ve already covered and makes them work with each other far more.

“I know you guys are tired from the first ball,” Junmyeon says towards the end of class, handing out pamphlets, “But I have news.”

Groans echo from around the room, and Junmyeon gives them an exasperated smile. “Will you relax, I haven’t even begun explaining.” They fall quiet, and Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “In around a week and a half, there’s going to be another Elimination, and then the fifth section of the Selection will begin. During the duration of those five weeks, there will be two parties. They will be greeting our foreign guests, and the ten remaining contestants will be split into two groups to prepare those parties.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then murmurs start rising from their seats. Seungwoo speaks over them. “Four of us will be gone. Are you putting us into groups now?”

Junmyeon shakes his head. “I’m only telling you this because I’ll be having all of you start brainstorming and researching starting in a week’s time. It doesn’t matter whether you’ll be gone or not, I’m going to put you in groups after the Elimination anyway. Questions?”

When none of them speak up, Junmyeon claps his hands.

“Dismissed.”

None of them actually go back to their rooms, though. 

“Are these the tests you mentioned earlier?” Seungwoo asks around a bite of teacake.

They'd all decided to meet in the Waiting Room, having too much free time with nothing to do in particular. Jongdae is the one who dragged Chanyeol here even though Chanyeol had wanted to go to the orchestra room. The question makes all of them look up.

Sooyoung glances at him. “What?”

“The tests,” Seungwoo repeats. “You said you asked Baekhyun about them.”

Sooyoung opens her mouth again in confusion, but recognition flashes in her face. “Oh those tests. Yeah I’m pretty sure this is the first. He said there’s going to be two or three.”

“What do you reckon the second will be?” Seojoon asks, looking up from the book he’d been reading.

“Who knows.” Sooyoung tosses a tint to Yerim when the younger girl calls back for one. “Maybe it’ll mirror the tests from other Selections. I remember reading that they used the exact format for all the Selections when they still held them often.”

“Isn’t this just rubbing salt on a wound?” Zitao’s voice comes muffled from Yifan’s shoulder. “Telling all of us to go get ready for something even though some of us will be gone.”

There’s a soft hum that goes around the couches where they’re sitting, and Chanyeol lets himself fall into a slight mum, leaning into the cushions and looking over Jongdae’s shoulder in vague interest at the book Jongdae is reading.

They’ve gotten even closer over the past few weeks, now that there are only twelve of them left. But there are still things Chanyeol doesn’t know about all of them, topics that they’re sensitive about that only get revealed when someone crosses a line, and he still gets surprised at the things some of them say sometimes. It’s that last thought that gives way to shocked silence when Yifan speaks up.

“I’m going to be one of the Eliminated.”

Everyone freezes. Chanyeol whips his head up from Jongdae’s shoulder, staring at the older man.

“What?” He doesn’t even realize he’s the one who’d spoken until Yifan glances at him, surprise giving way to a softer smile.

“It’s just a few problems back at home,” Yifan says. “I’ve talked to Baekhyun about it. We all know I’m not the one he’s interested in, anyway.”

Chanyeol blanks on what to say, what to do, how to act. But for once, it seems he and Zitao are on the same page of things.

“What - Yifan,” Zitao sounds more horrified than anything. “You didn’t even tell me!”

The older man shrugs. “Because I knew you’d react like this.” When Zitao’s agitated expression doesn’t let up, Yifan sighs. “It’s going to be fine, Tao. I’ll keep in touch.”

Zitao doesn’t seem too convinced, but there’s no time to argue about it either as the bell tolls for dinner. The silence that’s overtaken everyone is almost stifling, and they all pass around Yifan as if he’s a walking time bomb. For the first time, Chanyeol’s left wishing that the weeks until the Elimination would pass slowly.

  


  
In hindsight, Chanyeol should have been more prepared.

Baekhyun had warned him of its possibility, after all, but he hadn’t been expecting just how quickly everything began and ended.

It started with the bells tolling, as always, and ended with the bells tolling. For very different reasons. 

Chanyeol first hears the bells when all of them are outside with Baekhyun, the beginning notes chiming together in a strange cacophony. Time seems to slow down. Everyone else quiets as the sounds grow in volume, looking around in confusion as a guard comes rushing into the room towards them, saying something to Baekhyun in hushed tones.

And Chanyeol watches. The way Baekhyun’s expression changes impossibly quickly at the single word, the hardness in his eyes, the way his body shifts into that of a fighting stance - it makes Chanyeol remember thinking that Baekhyun probably has a serious side to him that he hides under his gentle touches and soft smiles. This is most likely that side of him.

The bells stop ringing and time snaps back into its regular pace.

Quickly, he calls for Yixing - who had been hiding behind the pillars leading to the garden, apparently - and says something as the bodyguard pulls out a transmitter.

“How many,” Baekhyun asks the guard.

“Around thirty.”

“My parents?”

“Already in a safe room.”

“Get back in the castle and go with the guards you see,” Baekhyun tells Chanyeol, but he doesn’t look fully focused on him, eyes slightly glazed and his voice devoid of the warmth he normally brings. “They’ll take you to a safe place, and I’ll go check up on all of you when I'm done here.”

Chanyeol wants to ask why Baekhyun isn’t moving, why he’s still out here with Yixing when there’s an attack going underway. But is there an attack? There are no noises within the castle, still a picture of serenity the way it always is. He doesn’t have the chance as Baekhyun pushes him towards the guard and gives him a small smile. Maybe trying to reassure him.

“Stay safe, Chanyeol,” he says, almost a plea. “Please.”

Chanyeol doesn’t get to answer as Jongdae pulls him into the castle along with the group.

The halls they run through are strangely familiar, yet unrecognizable. No guards other than the ones leading them, the vases and big paintings all gone, somehow. Chanyeol’s never given much thought to the security in the castle and the systems they have in place, but this is the castle of the First Royals in Korea. Of course they’d have the highest technology and safety measures.

It’s only when they run past their rooms that something jolts in him.

His stylists - 

“Jongdae, what about the rest of the people here?” Chanyeol tries not to consider it too deeply, but it’s still a sickening train of thought. The thought of losing the three of them, after all they’ve done for him - he's already worried about Baekhyun, and he wouldn't be able to handle losing them either. He needs to know they’re safe.

Jongdae glances back at him with a strange look, but realization dawns on his expression and Jongdae shakes his head. “Servants and maids have their own passageways here,” Jongdae assures him as the group of them make their way to a secluded hallway. “They’ll be fine, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol isn’t convinced, but the guard that had led them back down here is opening a small door that slides up from what looked to be a regular wall, and Chanyeol knows he can’t do anything about the situation now. The rooms they’re led to look more like barracks, and if the rebels hadn’t been enough to send people into a panic, Chanyeol can bet that the tight, closed off metal walls will create the illusion of making this seem worse than it is.

Not a second later, Minyoung lets out a shriek of despair.

Chanyeol glances over at her, makes eye contact with Jongdae, and lets out a long suffering sigh when Jaehyun also starts freaking out.

How fun.

The next half hour is filled with the two of them going around making sure that no one else is panicking. Sooyoung joins them after she and Joohyun have managed to calm Yerim down, elbowing Chanyeol gently as she passes him.

“Composure of a Royal,” she teases softly. “If I didn’t know better I’d have thought you were a prince.”

“Oh please,” Chanyeol responds, voice dry. “I don’t have that much posse.”

“If you say so,” she says loftily as she steps over to Minhyuk.

After a while, Chanyeol heads to the entrance and leans down to press his ear against the door. It might not be the best idea, but he’s suffocating in this space, and there are no loud noises directly outside. He shifts the metal slightly to peek outside and blinks.

There aren’t any guards in these halls right now. Chanyeol would bet that most are helping with the situation in the back, but it’s a little eerie, looking out at the near-empty hallways while shouts and gunshots are echoing through the walls, separated from him by mere meters of marble.

For a brief moment, Chanyeol thinks of the warning Baekhyun had given him before the dance, how the rebels might attack when there was an event of some sort happening so they could break in through the area with least defense. He realizes with a grimace that they’d probably used that logic against them, waiting until their defenses were down before attacking.

He barely represses a sigh as he shuts the door softly and heads back down.

After making sure Minyoung won’t just break down again, Chanyeol gives her a last pat and makes his way to where Jongdae is standing beside a door, agitation on his features.

“Who is it?” 

“Zitao,” Jongdae says, but there’s worry on his features as well. “He won’t even speak to me.”

“Where’s Yifan?”

“He wasn’t with us,” Jongdae sighs, “Remember? He was getting ready to leave.”

The reminder sits like a cold stone in Chanyeol’s gut, but he forces it down as he smiles at Jongdae. “I’ll take care of this.”

“You sure?” Jongdae’s eyes snap back to the door briefly. “He’s locked himself up in here the moment we came.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

He regrets it not twenty minutes later.

If nothing else, it shocks him that someone as impatient and demanding as Zitao is able to keep silent while Chanyeol knocks on the door for nearly half an hour.

“Zitao please just open the door I won’t even -” Chanyeol pauses as he takes in the silence. It’s silent now. He hadn’t realized while he was talking to the others, but there isn’t much noise coming from beyond the walls anymore, and he’s almost afraid of what it means. They couldn’t have lost, right? He hopes everyone else is fine, Mark and Doyoung and Jaemin. He hopes desperately that Baekhyun hasn’t gotten hurt.

A small clicking brings Chanyeol out of his thoughts, and he looks down to see that the lock had turned. Forcing the paranoia out of his brain, he focuses back on the situation at hand.

“Zitao?” Chanyeol opens the door slowly, giving Zitao time to slam it back in his face if he wanted. But he doesn’t, and Chanyeol blinks in surprise when he sees Zitao. The other male is clearly disheveled, hair messy and his eyes puffier than usual, but Chanyeol can’t really react to it. He knows he probably looks worse.

“Are you okay,” Chanyeol asks, tired. Now that he’s given himself a moment to breathe, he realizes that he’s exhausted. Helping the others, trying not to worry too much about what might have happened to Baekhyun - if Zitao ends up giving him a hard time he swears he’ll just leave him here. “And done throwing a fit? Everyone was worried.”

Zitao narrows his eyes at him. “Worried? About me?”

“Do I need to repeat myself,” Chanyeol deadpans, but he doesn’t let Zitao snap back an answer as he pushes past him into the room. He’s tired, and he isn’t up for another spat with Zitao. Surprisingly, Zitao doesn’t say anything either, watching him warily before he relaxes slightly and closes the door back behind himself.

The room is a small one, at least compared to the ones Chanyeol has gotten used to in the castle. Filled with shelves of books and piles of maps on top of a wooden towards the back, Chanyeol can infer that either this is a storage room or a study. He turns back to Zitao and finds him sitting on the small couch near the entrance.

“Are you feeling better?” Chanyeol asks, breaking the silence.

Zitao glances up at him. It almost seems like he won’t answer, but then he looks away and fiddles with the hem of his sleeve. “I don’t know.” Zitao’s voice is soft. “Do you know if it’s over yet?”

Chanyeol blinks at the change in Zitao’s attitude, but he attributes it to the rebels. It’s fair for even Zitao to be shaken. “It’s quiet now,” Chanyeol says, heading to the couch and sitting down cautiously. “But I’m not sure if it’s over. I was just making sure if you were alright. I could leave if you want.”

Zitao shakes his head. “It’s fine.”

It’s silent for another few minutes, but Zitao’s the one who speaks this time.

“You’re very composed.”

Chanyeol shrugs. “So are you.”

“Please,” Zitao scoffs. “You’re going around helping everyone. I’m barely keeping it together.”

For a moment, the way he speaks, his tone - it reminds Chanyeol of the various people he’s met here, Sehun, in particular, how they all seem to be afraid of getting close to others in fear of the consequences.

“Why do you hate me?” He asks eventually. Zitao pauses.

“I don’t.”

Chanyeol frowns. “Well, why do you dislike me?”

"I don't."

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. "There's some reason you treated me like dirt in the beginning."

Zitao glares at him and sighs. “You’re not going to let this go, are you.”

“No.”

Scoffing, Zitao tosses something at him, and Chanyeol looks down at his lap to see a copy of the latest Selection magazine. “Go look at the popularity polls,” Zitao says, voice light and controlled.

Chanyeol does. 

And chokes.

Joohyun and Jongdae and Minyoung are the top three. He’d expected that. But sitting at fourth place, is a little circle with his face printed in the center. Park Chanyeol.

Chanyeol blinks a few times to clear his head as he coughs. Is this what Baekhyun had meant when he said Korea loved him? Next to him, Zitao sighs.

“You’re everything I’m not,” Zitao says, sounding defeated. “Beloved. Your personality is great. You don’t resort to underhanded methods. You’re honest, but you’re caring. There’s something about you that’s just - special. Baekhyun saw that. So did Jongdae. And Sehun. And Prince Minseok, too. Everyone loves you.”

Zitao looks down as his voice cracks. “I’m just a pretty face.”

Chanyeol opens his mouth, but he has nothing to say. No - he does, he has _too many_ things to say and he doesn’t know where to start.

But then, “Are you crying?” slips out of his mouth, and Chanyeol instantly regrets it.

Zitao whips his head up at him. If looks could kill, Chanyeol would be six feet under.

“No,” he spits, even as he wipes at his tears. 

Chanyeol frowns and bites his lip. “You’re not just a pretty face,” he says softly. “But the fact that you think so might be why other people don’t see you as anything more than that either. You shouldn’t think so lowly of yourself.”

The words make Zitao freeze, and for a second Chanyeol thinks he’s gone too far, that Zitao’s going to slap him. He’s surprised when instead, Zitao laughs.

“Are you trying to tell me what to do, Park Chanyeol?” Zitao asks, but Chanyeol’s protests die when he sees the small smile playing at Zitao’s lips. 

They fall into a comfortable silence for the rest of the time there. Chanyeol wonders if this is the side of Zitao that Yifan takes care of. Sensitive, emotional, self-deprecating.

The door opens again. It might have been minutes or hours, Chanyeol can’t tell, but there are knocks on the door before Jongdae steps in and sighs in relief at the sight of them.

“Are you alright?” Jongdae’s eyes cut over to Zitao for a moment, brief concern in them, but he nods when Chanyeol smiles at him reassuringly and moves back to make space.

Zitao grips Chanyeol’s sleeve before they step out of the room. 

“Not a word of this to anyone,” he warns, and Chanyeol smiles at the younger.

“Of course.”

The guards lead all of them back to the Waiting Room. Chanyeol guesses that the Royals have gathered there for now, and he can’t help the sense of restlessness he gets when he thinks of his stylists again. Mark is jumpy, and he’s arguably the one Chanyeol’s most worried about, but he thinks of Doyoung’s composure and Jaemin’s ability to keep calm and optimistic all the time and relaxes just a bit. He hopes they’re all safe.

The king and queen are there when they go inside. Jeongsu murmurs something to Seohyun and the queen scans over their faces, shaking her head and whispering back to him. For some reason, it almost feels like a test. Chanyeol wonders if they’re checking for the level of composure.

They don’t have to wait long for the door to open again. Baekhyun and Sehun come in, bodyguards right behind them, but Baekhyun’s expression distorts into something Chanyeol can’t make out properly when he catches sight of Chanyeol. Relief? Desperation? Still, Baekhyun takes time to go around the room to his parents before he steps to Chanyeol.

Desperation, Chanyeol decides, looking closer. He’s almost amused.

“Are you alright?” He asks, scanning Baekhyun for any injuries. “What’s wrong?”

“How am I supposed to act?” Baekhyun whispers to him, panic seeping into his voice. “I’m fine comforting people personally but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to make them feel better after something like this.”

Chanyeol stares at him for a moment before bursting into small giggles. “Really?” He asks, “This is what you’re worried about?”

Baekhyun frowns at him, but the expression looks more like a pout. “I’m sure most of them haven’t ever dealt with a rebel attack. I just don’t know how to assure them that it’ll be fine. Speaking of.” The frown disappears for a moment as Baekhyun looks up at Chanyeol, the pout replaced with quiet observation, a hint of something else underneath. Pride? “You’re very calm.”

Chanyeol shrugs. “I had no real reason to be afraid.”

“Rebels attacking the palace is no real reason to be afraid?” Baekhyun’s voice is thick with amusement. “I guess I’m lucky you remained composed. I heard you helped some of the other contestants when they were panicking. Thank you.”

“It was nothing.” Opening his mouth, Chanyeol goes to ask about the rebels’ information and how they got through perimeter defenses in the first place, but a shift of Baekhyun’s neck reveals the silver pendant necklace Minseok had given them. His mouth dries and he forgets his words, and Chanyeol forces himself to shake the strange feelings off. “But you’re a naturally calming presence, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

The small smile Baekhyun gives him brings a light flush to Chanyeol’s neck. It’s all he can hope that it isn’t too visible.

“Alright then. Any suggestions as to who I should comfort first?”

Chanyeol smiles. Nodding his chin over to Yerim, he says, “She’s calmed down relatively quickly but it’d do her a mountain of good if you talked to her.”

Baekhyun grasps his hand and squeezes softly before he moves away. “Thank you, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol swallows back whatever it is that's making his throat close up and nods.

"Of course."

  


  
For the next few days, Junmyeon goes a little easier on them, but the workload doesn’t let up the same way. First there are the proposal plans they’re preparing, then the mini-interviews and the press meeting they’re scheduled to go to.

It reminds Chanyeol how quickly the castle adjusts and changes - not two days after the rebels had broken in, it’s like nothing ever happened. They have a small conference as the week begins again where King Jeongsu and Queen Seohyun make a few statements about the attack, but that’s it. As soon as it happened, it’s over.

How easy would it be to cover up other, smaller rebel forces? How many do the public know about, and how many were buried under other distractions?

Had Baekhyun been telling him the truth when he said the last one had been months ago?

In the meantime, Chanyeol tries to make do with the small interactions he has with Baekhyun between classes and after meals. It’s not enough, not at all, especially since he’d gotten so used to having Baekhyun around all the time the past few months, but he prefers it to Baekhyun being exhausted and sacrificing his health. Or - he would have preferred it if Baekhyun didn’t seem like he was getting more and more drained as the hours tick by.

By the end of the week, Chanyeol’s decided to go to Kyungsoo.

It takes him several twists and turns and asking a few of the guards stationed at doorways, but eventually he gets there, small wrap in hand filled with a few sandwiches and pastries. To his credit, the advisor doesn’t at all seem surprised to see him, and he flashes Chanyeol another one of his heart-shaped smiles before he tells him that Baekhyun is probably in his private library.

Chanyeol wishes he could say he didn’t already expect it.

Kyungsoo gives him a small piece of paper that he signs with his name at the bottom, then hands it to Chanyeol.

“Show this to any guard outside and they’ll take you to the door.” 

True to his word, one look at the note gets the nearest guard to nod at him before gesturing for Chanyeol to follow him, and Chanyeol trails the guard’s steps until they reach a tall wooden entryway. The guard bows his head to him and leaves just as quietly as he’d been the way here, and Chanyeol’s left alone, standing in front one of Baekhyun’s private quarters. He breathes out shakily before he grabs one of the handles and pulls the heavy door open.

He’s not sure what he expected from Baekhyun’s library, but the room he’s stepped into is the most comfortable room he’s ever seen in the castle. The entire place is carved from wood instead of the marble outside, warm rays of sun filtering through the glass dome above. Despite housing two floors, the inside of the library is completely hollow, with stairs on either side of the room that lead up to the second platform. Down the middle of the furthest wall, there’s a large, floor to ceiling window that spans the entirety of the first and second levels, and the ground is carpeted in soft material. 

It’s silent though, and Chanyeol’s just about to call out for Baekhyun when he notices a fallen book on one of the stairs.

Stepping up the small footholds, Chanyeol reaches the book only to see a pen rolling near the base of the rail, and he can already detect the top of a telltale head of silver. Getting closer, he realizes Baekhyun is sleeping, drowsing peacefully as his head rests on top of a pile of books, papers scattered around him and a laptop that’s sleeping from a long period of unuse.

How long had he been here, working on stacks and stacks of paperwork with no one to help him? How long had he discarded sleep and food to get things done on time? Why is this prince so self-sacrificial?

Chanyeol thinks he knows what’s making his chest tighten now, make his brain function at half its normal speed whenever he’s around Baekhyun. It’s more than just protectiveness over this person, who is too good for this world, far more than simple friendship. Whatever this is, he wants to be selfish enough to reach for it, claim it as his own.

Grabbing a quilt that he sees in one of the window couches, Chanyeol drapes it over Baekhyun’s shoulders, biting back a smile when he catches sight of the silver necklace peeking through the loose collar of Baekhyun’s sweater. He looks so - soft, like this. Tired, fragile, delicate, even though Chanyeol knows he’s anything but weak.

He has to force himself to tear his gaze away. To see Baekhyun so vulnerable is something Chanyeol isn’t sure the prince would be comfortable with him doing, so instead he sets down the bundle of food and tries walking, taking in the rest of the library.

After a while, he circles around and settles on the opposite side of Baekhyun’s table, leaning his chin on his hand.

Soft.

Beautiful.

Mesmerizing.

He hopes he can tell Baekhyun how strong he is one day.

\----

Chanyeol doesn’t even realize he’d fallen asleep until a hand is shaking his shoulder, soft calls of his name from a familiar voice and he jerks his head up to see Baekhyun in front of him, face just inches away.

And if that wasn't enough to give him a heart attack, there’s a small smile on the prince’s lips, gentle and fond and Chanyeol isn't strong enough to handle this right after he's woken up.

“You sleep with your eyes slightly open,” Baekhyun says as he sits back down on a chair near him. He looks like he’s holding back a laugh, “Do you know how surprising that was?”

Chanyeol opens his mouth to reply and ends up coughing slightly, throat cracking. How long had he been sleeping?

“Sorry,” he says, wincing at how much rougher his voice is. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Looking around, he realizes that the dome above displays a blend of pink and purple now, and it’s getting dark beyond the full length window. The light around them is coming from the soft glow of lamps and a series of small antique chandeliers hanging around the edge of the dome, the entire room bathed in a warm orange hue. It’s sunset. He must have been out for hours.

Slowly, Chanyeol lifts his head and straightens, his back protesting the awful position he’d fallen asleep in. But something warm and heavy falls down around him and he blinks when he recognizes it as the same quilt he’d put on Baekhyun earlier.

“You seemed a little cold,” Baekhyun says when Chanyeol stares down at it for a beat too long. “Thank you for that, by the way.”

“You’re welcome.” It takes another moment or two for Chanyeol to remember why he’d come here in the first place. “Are you still working?”

Baekhyun shakes his head and nods over to the pile next to his books. “All done. Finally.”

Chanyeol sighs. “I can’t believe I’m the one that napped so long when I came to get you to rest.”

“I did rest,” Baekhyun assures him, “And the food was a pleasant surprise, too. But you don’t have to look out for me like this. I’m supposed to be the one taking care of all of you.”

“I want to,” Chanyeol says, frowning a little. “You do so much for me, but I hardly help with anything at all.”

Baekhyun's eyes soften. “I told you, you being here with me is all I need.”

“Still,” Chanyeol insists, “Let me take care of you. You handle so many things at once, I can’t even begin to imagine how exhausting it must be. Just small things. Enough to help you rest.”

His persistence must take Baekhyun by surprise, because the prince looks at him for a few moments and ends up hiding a small smile behind his sleeve. “Alright.” Before he can say anything else though, the sound of the bells tolling distracts them, and Chanyeol counts the times it rings. Seven.

“It’s dinner time,” Baekhyun says, looking in the direction of the clocktower even if they can’t see it through the walls. “We could go down now and join the others.”

Chanyeol blinks. "You're saying that as if we have another option."

He's met with a smile, a little bit of mischief in Baekhyun's gaze. "Well, there's still the food left from what you brought up, and we can always ask Yixing to get us something."

There’s a growing smile on Chanyeol’s own face. “Okay, but we’re getting real food, not just desserts and cakes.”

“That was once,” Baekhyun defends, but he’s laughing. So is Chanyeol.

He’s missed this.  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so- 
> 
>  
> 
> I'm really sorry.
> 
> A lot of things happened, but if I try to put it into words - first it was high school, which doesn't need much explanation otherwise, and then I fell into a terrible bout where I was uninspired and I generally felt horrible about this fic. I actually had this chapter kind of done for the past like two months but I just couldn't upload it because first of all, I felt so bad for not uploading as often as I probably should have, but the quality of this chapter was just horrible??? and I felt bad coming up with this mess when I kept all of you waiting for so long and you deserved much more than this.
> 
> So I'm sorry. I won't lie and say that all the chapters from now will be posted regularly, but I'm still working on this! I promise! I've also been doing a few exo fests to try keeping my writing inspiration up, which is why I couldn't really give this fic my undivided attention.
> 
> In other news, I am writing a few other ChanBaek fics, so if you're subscribed to me you can probably (?) look forward to them being released between now and spring, at the latest. They're my apology fics, so pls accept them.
> 
> Again, I'm really really sorry.
> 
> I haven't given up on this fic though!! This fic is my first ever long chapter fic, and I'm determined to see it to its end.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's stuck around until now! I know I'm not the best writer, nor am I the best at uploading when I should, but it means a lot to me that this story has touched some of you out there.
> 
> Thank you, and I'm really sorry!!
> 
>  
> 
> ps stream obsession  
> pps i'm in a perpetual love square between trouble, butterfly effect, baby you are, and fucking GROOVE


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more chanbaek!!!!!!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably should have spent more time proof-reading/editing but I was just so so so so fucking excited to release this chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> read until the end for a surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Watching Yifan leave is like a small blow to Chanyeol’s chest.

They weren’t really close. Chanyeol’s talked to him maybe twice in private.

Still, he was part of this contest for nearly three months. They’d gotten to know each other during these three months as far more than just competitors vying for a position on the throne - many of them were close friends and developed supportive relationships. Not for the first time, Chanyeol regrets not spending more time with the older contestant, not getting to know him better, not talking to him as much as he could have. 

But it’s too late for that now.

“Thank you,” Yifan says before he leaves, stilted Korean that Chanyeol won’t be hearing for who knows how long. Maybe this will be the last time. “Zitao looks a lot better.”

“We came to an understanding.” Chanyeol sees Zitao raise a brow at him, maybe sensing his name being tossed around. The brat’s too intuitive for his own good. “I think we have, at least.”

Yifan isn’t one for smiles. Chanyeol thinks Yifan has smiled all of three times the entire Selection. But the one he’s wearing right now is the softest he’s ever seen. “I’m glad.”

After saying a last goodbye, Chanyeol waits as Yifan and Jongdae exchange a few words, the line of the Eliminated passing through the remaining Selected and the two princes at the end. Slowly. The sun is rising, too. Once everyone’s said goodbye, Yifan and the others start walking to the cars, headed for the airport or their own private vehicles back to wherever they’d come from, and Chanyeol tries not to let the disappointment show on his face. Seungwoo pats his shoulder though, and he catches Zitao’s eye as they’re heading back inside.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Zitao snorts. “What, you think I’m a baby without Fan-ge?”

Chanyeol bites his lip. “A little, especially with that nickname.”

Zitao kicks him.

But despite the teasing, Chanyeol does see a difference in Zitao. Maybe it was the confrontation they had. Maybe it’s the fact that he doesn’t have a familiar shoulder to lean on anymore, a taller presence to both shield him from the palace and keep him in line. 

Zitao stands a little taller now, gaze more determined, focused.

It’s a good look on him.

  


  


"Aren't you working too hard?" 

Chanyeol glances up at Baekhyun's voice.

"Hm?"

It'd become a pattern of sorts, for them to meet up in Baekhyun's private library whenever they have the time. Chanyeol likes it. He likes how they joke around at times, how Baekhyun always manages to wheedle Yixing into getting them small cakes, how Kyungsoo checks in on them sometimes and smiles pleasantly at Chanyeol, too. And as selfish as it may seem, he likes having Baekhyun to himself, even if most of the time he’s pouring through books and the prince is working on international deals.

Chanyeol leans against the seat and cracks his back. "You have no right to be saying that to anyone,” he says, smiling when Baekhyun scowls.

“I think I preferred it when you were scared of me,” Baekhyun huffs, “you never even listen to me anymore.”

Chanyeol hides a laugh behind his hand. “Well then, prince. Should we repeat our interactions from the first two weeks?”

It’s easy to forget how unbalanced their relationship had been in the beginning. Chanyeol, fearing the proximity to the prince and what his kindness meant, and Baekhyun, not knowing what casual friendship was nor how to stop worrying about his appearance when it came to Chanyeol. It had taken work from both of them, but now Chanyeol fears being apart from the prince more than his closeness, and Baekhyun sheds his title whenever they’re alone. It’s better now - infinitely better than their closed-off conversations from months ago.

Baekhyun seems to have similar thoughts, because he grimaces just at the mention and shakes his head. 

“Please don’t,” Baekhyun sighs, running a hand through his hair. Chanyeol laughs at his discomfort. “I really had no idea what I was doing then.”

“Are you implying that you know now?”

Baekhyun narrows his eyes at Chanyeol, but the playful banter gives a light to his expression that renders his glare cute instead of threatening.

“Careful,” Baekhyun warns, and Chanyeol works to keep another laugh from bubbling up, “I’m still the Crown Prince.”

“You two really just forget about my existence when I’m not around for two seconds, huh,” a voice interrupts them before Chanyeol can retort. He looks up only to be smothered with a pillow as Sehun bypasses him and takes the chair on the other side of Baekhyun. “Keep your disgusting flirting to when I’m not around, please.”

“Did you find the book you were looking for?” Baekhyun asks, ruffling Sehun’s hair in a cajoling manner. Chanyeol also shoots Sehun an apologetic look. He’d honestly forgotten Sehun had come with them today. Sehun rolls his eyes.

“Yes, I did.” He’s pouting now. Chanyeol muffles a giggle and Baekhyun looks fond enough that Sehun can tell they’re not taking him seriously. In the end the younger prince harrumphs and starts reading his book, and Baekhyun turns back to Chanyeol.

“I really don’t think you should be worrying that much about it, at least not to the point of losing sleep,” Baekhyun says, frowning. “It’s a small greeting party, the bulk of negotiations will take place elsewhere.”

Chanyeol shrugs. “I just don’t want to disappoint anyone,” he says.

It’s true that the party itself is small, but Chanyeol still feels like he needs to prove himself somehow for this project. Greeting the royal family of one of New Korea’s biggest allied nations is something Chanyeol never dreamed he’d be doing in the Selection, yet here he is - reading up on all of Japan’s customs and traditions and norms in desperate hopes of not messing up when he meets them again formally.

Princess Sana had been sweet and kind, Chanyeol remembers. Her court nobles are a different matter. Even here, there are people who do not at all live up to Baekhyun’s royal family name, with their grace and selflessness. He needs to make sure this is perfect so as to not offend anyone.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says quietly, forcing Chanyeol’s attention away from his book, “You wouldn’t be disappointing anyone, no matter what you did. I just don’t want you to put so much pressure on yourself.”

Chanyeol smiles. “Well then, I’ll put it another way. I want to make you proud, too.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen almost comically. Sehun muffles a pained sound into his book pages.

“It’s not just for my own sake anymore,” Chanyeol continues, before Baekhyun can protest further. “There are four other Contestants in my group who deserve my best efforts along with theirs, and I owe it to you and Junmyeon to do well, since you’ve supported me for so long.” He chuckles. “I’m not too scared about disappointing you. I just want to show off, I guess, to the people who are coming. That I’ve had amazing teachers.”

_And to prove I might be worthy of the place next to you._

Chanyeol doesn’t say that last line, but Baekhyun seems to understand the intent anyway. He watches as the prince’s cheeks stain a light shade of pink, contrasting with the silver of his hair. 

“That’s it,” Sehun says, startling them both again. Chanyeol almost jumps in his seat as Sehun stands abruptly and slams his book down on the table. “I’m leaving.”

For a moment, they’re silent as they watch Sehun grumble and disappear into the shelves. It’s only when they can’t hold it in anymore that they burst into small giggles.  
  
  


  


“I swear to fucking _God_ if you two can’t agree on something we’ll just go with classical,” Joohyun says, icy voice hiding a warning in the undertones.

Immediately the targets of her anger whip around, Zitao shrinking back slightly and Seungwoo seeming almost sheepish before the effects of her threatening glare wear off.

“If he’d just admit whatever kasugi music he was talking about is boring and overdone we wouldn’t be having this conversation -”

“It’s _kabuki,”_ Zitao snaps, “and it’s Japan’s traditional music!”

Seungwoo makes a face.

To be honest, Chanyeol’s more surprised that this _hadn’t_ happened before.

Zitao’s chest puffs up a little in indignance, Seungwoo looks all-too amused, Mina hides her face behind a book, and Joohyun looks like she’s fighting a migraine. 

“I’m telling you,” Zitao says in a frustrated tone, “I’ve met with the Japanese emissaries before, and they’re -”

“We get it, you’re an important figure who’s met with all these other important figures,” Seungwoo says, but he’s smiling. Zitao seems even more aggravated at the fact that the other man isn’t taking him seriously. “I really don’t think music is something to be arguing about like this, though.”

Zitao throws his hands up. “That’s what _I’m_ saying! And that’s why I’m telling you we should just go ahead and play traditional music!”

Seungwoo grins. “But the background track to Naruto is iconic. Or maybe One Piece -”

Chanyeol rubs at his temples as he and Joohyun share an exasperated look over Zitao’s laptop screen, both of them stoutly ignoring the fervent discussion that ensues about why old anime tracks will never do Japanese traditional music justice. He supposes it’s their luck that Zitao and Seungwoo hadn’t had an argument before this, but of all the things, why is it _music -_

Before any of them can do anything else, a figure comes up behind Zitao and Seungwoo and cuffs them lightly on the head. They both look up to Junmyeon. 

“You two,” Junmyeon says, though he sounds slightly amused, “should not be arguing about _music_ when there are far more important things to go over before the party.”

“But he -”

“I didn’t -”

Junmyeon’s exasperated smile tells Chanyeol that this isn’t the first time the man has had to deal with such trivial matters. 

“No playing the blame game.” Junmyeon warns. “Now get back to work and spare your teammates the added stress of trying to calm you down.”

Sufficiently chastised, Seungwoo and Zitao both settle down, but Chanyeol has a feeling this won’t be the last of their bickering.

Jongdae only laughs at Chanyeol when he complains to the other man.

“That’s how your preparations are going?” Jongdae asks, stretching his arms over his head. They’re walking down the halls from their suites to the dining hall, exchanging light bows of the head with guards and other servants that pass by.

“It’s not that Zitao’s being aggravating,” Chanyeol runs a hand down his face. “It’s more like - he and Seungwoo are complete opposites and neither of them know how to compromise.”

“You could mediate,” Jongdae suggests, “Or Joohyun. Zitao listens to you, doesn’t he?”

Chanyeol makes a face. “I guess.” 

Jongdae laughs again and turns back away from him. “Just be glad you’re not stuck with Minyoung.”

Chanyeol winces. He’d completely forgotten about her. “How’s she with Yeri?”

Jongdae’s palpable amusement softens the long, exasperated sigh he lets out. “It’s definitely not as bad as the beginning of the Selection,” he says, “but it could be better. Whenever one of them suggests something, the other shoots it down without really thinking about it just because they hate each other. Sooyoung and Minhyuk are trying to keep things calm though, for now.”

“I think any more of their whining and Joohyun would have snapped,” Chanyeol recalls with a light laugh.

“You’re only laughing because you haven’t seen her truly angry,” Jongdae replies with a chuckle. “She can be _terrifying_.”

“Really?”

Jongdae nods. “Oh yeah. There was this one time someone tried to make a pass at her advisor and claimed it was fine because she was a lower class. His company’s still blacklisted from central Korea and it’s been seven years.”

The answer makes Chanyeol rethink all the possible instances that he may have offended her somehow, but he doesn’t get far into the process of flipping through his interactions with her before Jongdae asks him, “By the way, when did you start wearing a necklace?”

Chanyeol turns to him and frowns. “What -” And falls silent as he remembers the silver weight around his neck.

Had he really not told Jongdae about the necklace Minseok gave him and Baekhyun? Chanyeol tries to wrack his head for memories of the past week, from the evening before Minseok and Luhan’s departure to now, and finds that he really can’t remember ever explaining it to Jongdae. With Yifan’s leaving, the attack, and then getting closer to Zitao, he must have forgotten.

His hand goes up to run the pads of his fingers over the chain instinctively.

“It was a gift,” Chanyeol says quietly, hesitating for a moment, “from Minseok. To me and Baekhyun.”

Jongdae’s eyes widen and a flash of emotion crosses his features. It’s gone in a moment though, hidden under a controlled facade and mask of indifference as he snorts. “That does sound like something Minseok would do. He probably already sees you two as engaged.”

Chanyeol doesn’t feel comfortable just leaving it like that. He opens his mouth to say something, anything, maybe that Luhan and Minseok surely understand his actions, maybe that it'll be alright, once the Selection is over. Jongdae sees the words forming and cuts him off.

"It's fine," Jongdae says quietly. "I'm alright."

"That's not very convincing," Chanyeol retorts with a frown.

Jongdae just rolls his eyes. "I'm fine, really, you act like I dated him or something." Then he nudges Chanyeol's side. "But go back to talking about Baekhyun."

Chanyeol lets the subject go reluctantly. "What about him?"

"The necklace." Jongdae's expression borders on something between amused and curious. "Does he wear it too?"

Chanyeol blinks. “I think so?”

_He does,_ Chanyeol’s brain reminds him. His mind must also have a vendetta set against him today, because the thought comes with an added mental image of the silver glinting against the exposed column of Baekhyun’s neck and -

_Fuck_. 

Jongdae laughs at whatever he sees on Chanyeol’s face. “You really like him, huh.”

Chanyeol jumps. “Jongdae!” Frantically, he turns around and hopes no one else was around to catch it. Jongdae only raises his brows at Chanyeol, as if daring him to deny the statement. The denial never comes.

“I,” Chanyeol swallows. God he’s never had this sort of conversation with _anyone,_ not even Yoora, but Jongdae is looking at him expectantly and Chanyeol has never been a good liar. “Yeah, I do.”

When there’s no response for a few moments, Chanyeol chances a glance at Jongdae, but the other man is only smiling at him. And really, what else had he expected? Jongdae isn’t the type to tease or give him hell for it. 

“It’s about time you acknowledged it.”

Chanyeol’s shoulders sag. “Was it that obvious?”

“A little, yeah,” Jongdae smiles, “you’re lucky the prince is as oblivious as you are. I can’t believe it took you months to realize.”

Chanyeol chews on his bottom lip. “I think I preferred it when I didn’t know.” 

There’s a reason Chanyeol has been putting it off for so long. Now that he’s recognized his feelings for what they are, Chanyeol doesn’t think he can look at Baekhyun without replaying that line in his head over and over again.

_I like him_.

But Jongdae shakes his head. “I don’t think it changes much,” he says, shoulders lifting in a shrug, “I mean, technically you’ve been dating him for what, nearly three months now?”

“Not really,” Chanyeol mumbles. The entire Selection has been dating Baekhyun, based off Jongdae’s logic.

Jongdae snorts. He looks like he wants to say something more to that, too, but they’re nearing the dining hall now and he keeps it to himself. 

Just shy of reaching the room, Jongdae touches Chanyeol’s arm briefly. 

“You’re going to try, right?” It's vague enough that Chanyeol doesn't have to worry about the others catching its meaning. They bow their heads to the royals and take their seats, and across the table, Chanyeol catches Baekhyun’s gaze, earning a beautiful smile that he tries to return. “You have no excuse not to.”

A few months ago, Chanyeol would have hesitated. Not now.

He knows what goes into running a country. He knows how much stress Baekhyun must be under at all times, and he still isn’t sure whether or not he has what it takes to carry that burden with him. But he’s willing to find out. Chanyeol still remembers what he’d told Kyuhyun in that interview nearly a month ago, that Baekhyun is someone worth fighting for, and he stands by it now. He can’t give up having Baekhyun in his life. Not now, not ever.

“Yeah, I am.”

  
  
  


For the first time in a long while, Chanyeol gets a proper date with Baekhyun.

_Date_ , he repeats in his head as Mark tidies his brows. 

It’s so strange; he’d barely even paid the word any attention in the beginning but now it’s making his hands fidget under the dresser table, eyes flickering over his mirror self nervously in search of any possible flaw or skew in how he looks - as if Mark would ever mess up his makeup. 

“You seem a little different than usual.”

Of course Jaemin had caught onto it.

Chanyeol’s head whips up too quickly for it to have not been suspicious. “What? No I don’t.”

“Yes you do,” Doyoung says from the back, where he’s looking at the coordinated outfits in his closet. He and Jaemin switch places, Jaemin prancing over to the wardrobe to match Chanyeol’s clothes for the day and Doyoung walking to his chair and lifting a few strands of his hair. “Chanyeol-ssi, are you nervous?”

Chanyeol doesn’t get to correct Doyoung’s formal speech because Mark giggles softly above him, brush working at his contour with gentle strokes.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen you nervous about Prince Baekhyun, I think,” Mark says. “It’s really cute.”

Doyoung nods his affirmation and Chanyeol feels slightly lightheaded.

“Hold on a minute,” Chanyeol starts protesting, but Jaemin comes back with a simple creamy beige sweater and black jeans and by then it’s a futile attempt at steering the conversation away. “How do you even know it’s Baekhyun that I’m nervous about -”

Jaemin drapes the sweater over him to see how the color matches with Chanyeol’s skin and hums in approval. “Who else, then?”

Chanyeol doesn’t have a response for them. He’s tempted to bury his head in his arms and groan, but he doesn’t. Only because Mark just spent the last half hour on his face. And because he needs to pull on his clothes.

It was a hopeless cause, Chanyeol knows, to have hoped he could hide and act like everything is normal when really, he’s still reeling from the conversation with Jongdae. He’d always _known_ , in a way - it’s impossible not to recognize the flutters in his chest, the squeeze of his heart whenever he sees the crown prince, but it’s another thing to give name to those feelings, place a title on them. 

He likes Baekhyun.

A lot. 

Doyoung’s smile is a bit smug, too knowing. “Chanyeol-ssi,” and if Chanyeol had been in a better state of mind he’d have heard the amusement, “you’re blushing.”

Mark coos above him, and Chanyeol does groan this time. Jaemin only laughs as he picks out an earring. “It’s alright, really, at this point we all know what’s going to happen.”

“What does that even mean?”

“You know, once he proposes - or I guess it could work both ways -”

“Jaemin I really don’t think -”

“It’ll be so _cute_ can I be one of the groomsmen?”

A knock on the door makes both of them fall silent. Chanyeol gives Jaemin a warning look and mouths _don’t you dare,_ and Jaemin rolls his eyes even as he perks up impossibly. Chanyeol would have snorted any other day. Someone walking in would think Jaemin is the one going out with Baekhyun.

And then a head of silver pops inside and Chanyeol’s next breath is smothered in his throat.

_He’s not really wearing anything much different to his usual attire,_ Chanyeol tries to reason with himself, taking in Baekhyun’s loose shirt and slim-fitted jeans. _And this is just another one of the many, many dates you’ve had with him already._

It doesn’t work. Baekhyun’s smile makes it worse.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun brightens slightly, “Are you ready?”

Chanyeol ignores how his throat closes up and forces himself to nod. “Yeah.”

Whether they could tell that Chanyeol needed a push or just wanted to embarrass him he doesn’t know, but his three stylists share a look before dragging him out of the chair and shoving him into the hall, and he only gets to call out his thanks as the door shuts on his face loudly. He’s left staring at the white polish a little absently until Baekhyun laughs, the quiet sound making Chanyeol refocus on him.

Baekhyun is smiling. “You have such an adorable trio.”

A small smile works its way up Chanyeol’s face too, unbidden. The teasing has managed to put some of his nerves to rest. It's incredible how the three of them help him unknowingly in the strangest ways. 

“I really do.”

Three cameras join them as they leave the suites' floor and head to the stairs. The low buzzing helps keep Chanyeol's mind off other things, like the way Baekhyun's hand rests gently on his arm like he's meant to fit there, their movements so in sync that Chanyeol would have thought it was conscious if not for the far-off look in Baekhyun's eyes, gaze flicking between the cameras and the halls. 

Before he can ask if Baekhyun’s alright though, he’s pulled along gently to the gardens on the upper floor. Chanyeol’s breath catches in his throat. Tonight’s date seems to have been set up to purposely remind Chanyeol of the first night here in the castle.

The moon shines down at them and bathes the room in silver, brighter with the stars, and below them, the fountain in the center of the main fields is putting on a light show with colors of pink, blue, and purple. A small white table sits beyond the windows on the balcony, presumably with snacks. It’s all so beautiful that for a moment, Chanyeol just stares.

They’ve really come a long way, Chanyeol can’t help but think. From him yelling at the prince that night to _this,_ the comfort and security they find in each other now. It’s still a little hard to believe, but Chanyeol wouldn’t change this for the world.

“By the way,” Baekhyun says as they settle down on the table near the far end of the gardens, already prepared for them. “I only asked for small cakes and light drinks, I hope you don’t mind.”

Chanyeol tries to smile. “I’m not hungry, it’s fine.” He looks at the drinks and the smile turns genuine as he laughs. 

“Orange juice?” He asks through giggles. “What are we, twelve?”

Baekhyun seems to remember the jab as the same words he’d thrown at Chanyeol when they made the secret hand sign, because his mouth droops down in a pout and there’s a faint whine underlying his tone when he speaks.

“I can’t handle alcohol at all,” Baekhyun says, long fingers taking his glass to swirl the drink around. “And it’s late, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol lets the excuse slide without much more teasing. 

“I don’t mind,” he says, clinking his own glass against Baekhyun’s. “I’m not in the mood for alcohol anyway.”

Baekhyun’s lips stretch into a light smile.

“I forgot to ask, how is your planning going?” Baekhyun spears through a honey covered strawberry on his cake. “I heard from Jongdae that Junmyeon had to step in yesterday.”

Chanyeol scrunches up his nose and tries to ignore the camera floating next to him, clearly positioning itself to get the best view of his face as possible. “The majority of it is done, we just need to figure out how to set up decorations and whether or not we want servers.”

Baekhyun hums.

For the next half hour, their talk is light. Both of them are careful around the cameras, so the time is filled with jokes and idle chatter until their cakes are finished. When Baekhyun finally sends the cameras away, with them goes pressure that Chanyeol hadn’t even realized was there. His shoulders relax slightly and he can feel the stiff muscles in his body letting go with nothing to give a show for.

Baekhyun notices. His gaze is apologetic, so Chanyeol doesn’t let him talk.

“It’s fine,” Chanyeol says, shaking his head slightly. “I understand. I’ve gotten used to it.”

The expression turns a little sad and Chanyeol almost thinks it’s worse. 

“I hate that you’ve had to get used to it,” Baekhyun says quietly, looking to the side. The same guilt that had strained his expression during the first ball is there now, the lasting regret that Baekhyun still seems to feel at the stress Chanyeol had been under the first few weeks here. 

Chanyeol pauses for a moment, hesitating. This is supposed to be a lighthearted date, a celebration for the past week of hard work they’ve both endured. Baekhyun should be smiling.

He washes down the chocolate flavor of his cake with orange juice and shakes his head.

“It was worth it.” Adding on, “The cakes, I mean.”

The startled laugh that comes from Baekhyun’s lips is like the clear water of a bubbling brook. His eyes are crinkled up in happiness and Chanyeol breathes a little more easily. _This_ is what he should look like on a date - relaxed, carefree, if only for a moment until he has to get back to the real world. His smile remains as he stands and extends a hand to Chanyeol.

“Come on,” Baekhyun tilts his head to the front meadows. “There’s a fountain show starting in a bit.”

Chanyeol accepts it. Baekhyun heaves him up from his chair and Chanyeol holds onto his hand until there’s absolutely no reason to anymore, resting his elbows on the rail of the balcony and looking out just as the first stream of water swirls up and the rest follow in interlacing patterns.

“Since when was there a fountain show outside?” Chanyeol asks, looking over the gardens. He turns his head to the side to catch Baekhyun’s smile and almost swallows his tongue at how good he looks, so distracted by how brilliantly the moon is lighting up Baekhyun’s hair that he almost doesn’t catch the prince’s next words.

“Since forever ago.” Baekhyun’s voice is achingly fond. “We used to have them for Sehun whenever he visited, since he was raised outside the castle until he was six. When he came to live here permanently, it became tradition to do it every week. It’ll be too cold to do this in a few months though, in the winter.”

After a few more moments of watching the fountain show, Chanyeol leans on the rail and pillows his head in his arms. He hears Baekhyun’s soft chuckle above him and then there are gentle fingers skimming over the top of his head, almost a caress but not quite. Chanyeol pushes up into the touch and Baekhyun’s laugh is a little louder this time, acquiescing with the unspoken request and running his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair.

“Your hair is so soft,” Baekhyun murmurs, “It feels nicer without gel.”

“I’ll keep it down just for our dates then,” Chanyeol says, turning his head to look up at Baekhyun. He gets a small smile in response, but it doesn’t quite reach Baekhyun’s eyes. Frowning, Chanyeol straightens. Baekhyun’s hand falls from his hair. “Is something wrong?”

Baekhyun hesitates.

“Do you,” he pauses, “Do you think I act cold around you all?”

It takes a full minute for the question to sink in. As soon as it does, Chanyeol finds himself raising his brows in disbelief. Because _Baekhyun_ and _cold_ used in the same sentence - the idea is almost laughable.

“Well,” Chanyeol struggles to find the right words, “I don’t know how you are with the others, but I never feel like it? I’m comfortable being with you the way we are now.”

Baekhyun chews on his bottom lip and Chanyeol tilts his head. “Why do you ask?”

“The editors.” Baekhyun’s next breath sounds a little shaky. “They want me to be more physically affectionate,” Baekhyun says. He’s looking beyond the glass to the fountains, and Chanyeol can’t read his eyes.

“What?”

Baekhyun glances up at him and shrugs. “It’s a normal part of the Selection. But the public wants more,” he grimaces, “ _action_ , as they put it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to deliver.”

Realization hits Chanyeol like a truck and he has to physically keep himself from stiffening. The discomfort still shows in his voice.

“They want to see you make out with another person,” Chanyeol says flatly, “For what? Are they _that_ deprived?”

A part of Chanyeol knows he might be judging too harshly, but he can’t help it. None of them can watch the episodes, which means he probably won’t have to see Baekhyun doing anything with the other Contestants, but it still gives him the weirdest feeling in his stomach, like his insides are twisting in on themselves. At the same time though, he can’t really blame the public; it’s normal for viewers to want to see physical affection between people they think are attracted to each other.

He’s jealous, he realizes, again. This is happening a little too often for him to be comfortable recently.

Baekhyun tilts his head at Chanyeol’s tone. “Does that bother you?”

_Yes,_ Chanyeol bites back. _It's been a week since I realized I have feelings for you but now I have to share._

He looks away instead of saying any of that. “Isn’t this sort of thing too personal for them to expect you to show?”

“It did trouble me at first,” Baekhyun muses, “having to pretend I’d have my first kiss with someone.”

Chanyeol raises a brow at him. “Pretend?”

The smile Baekhyun shoots back is amused. "You don't really think I intend to have such a…” he pauses, like he’s trying to find the right words, “private moment like that in front of the entire nation? And more than that,” Baekhyun turns away to look back up at the sky, “it feels like I’d be using you all. And I have a feeling many of you won’t be happy with so many cameras buzzing around. I, for one, am not comfortable with the idea.”

Chanyeol can’t help the small chuckle rising from his throat. It's a little bitter. “You’re too nice, you know that? I can’t imagine having the patience to deal with paparazzi as you do.”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “I will admit, they get on my nerves sometimes. Especially with the Selection episodes. It’s the one reservation I had when I agreed to the Competition. That the Selected would not be at ease.”

His subtle detour around Chanyeol’s comment doesn’t go unnoticed, but Chanyeol says nothing about it, taking another sip of the juice. Complimenting Baekhyun is about as effective as talking to a wall; he knows that he won’t get an answer. The thought almost makes him chuckle again. The kindness of the prince almost overshadows his humility.

“You should think more about yourself, too,” Chanyeol smiles faintly around the rim of his glass. “It’s not just us in front of the cameras.”

“Well, what was I supposed to say?” Baekhyun pouts a little. Chanyeol almost drops the drink at the sight. Jesus, Baekhyun really doesn’t know the effect he has on _anyone._ “That I’m scared people will find out what little experience I have in the romance department?”

For a moment, Chanyeol is silent. And then he swallows, letting his glass rest on the rail. “Have you really never done anything? With anyone?”

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun replies, voice dry, “I’ve never even been in a relationship.”

_That’s not what I meant,_ Chanyeol thinks, but the bells toll above their heads and Baekhyun turns towards the clock towers, seemingly counting the chimes. Ten. Chanyeol is still staring at the prince. He doesn't know what to say, what to think. What does _Baekhyun_ want him to say?

Baekhyun doesn't give him time to ponder the question. He smiles, a wisp of a curl on his lips. The expression is familiar now, after so long. 

"We should get going,” he says, the silver locks of his hair shifting with the movement of his head, "it's late and you should be getting as much sleep as possible. I’ll walk you back."

Chanyeol isn't listening.

There's a reason Baekhyun has brought this up in the first place, he knows the prince well enough to be able to discern that. But is it really for the reason he's hoping? 

Baekhyun looks over his shoulder when he notices that Chanyeol hasn't moved. "Chanyeol? Is something wrong?"

Realistically, Chanyeol knows that his mind is racing, that the silence that stretches between them takes only seconds. In his head, it feels more like _hours_ , the memories of the past few months drowning him all at once, but only one person sticks out among them.

Baekhyun, that first night in the castle, his soft hands and soothing voice and his gentle understanding.

Baekhyun, asking Chanyeol to be his friend even though not twenty hours ago, he'd confessed he was only in the competition for the money.

Baekhyun, sitting in a chair as Chanyeol strummed the guitar, the sweetest melody Chanyeol had ever heard flowing from his lips.

Baekhyun, eyes half-closed in awe by the windowsill as the sun set beyond his nation's mountains, hair ruffled by the breeze and his skin painted gold.

Baekhyun, angry and fearful of their friendship and fearful of _Chanyeol_ , eyes bright enough to spark a fire as he demanded to be told the reason Sehun said Baekhyun should keep Chanyeol in the competition.

Baekhyun, commanding and regal as all the kings before him and ordering the presence of his soldiers in an attack, his royal exterior fading only as worry flashed in his face for Chanyeol’s safety.

Baekhyun, overworked and exhausted but still so beautiful in his vulnerability, the man behind the prince, who Chanyeol had decided then and there that no one could ever hope to deserve.

Baekhyun, who's still frowning at him in concern as starlight washes over his features.

Something snaps into place.

"Chanyeol? What's wrong?"

Chanyeol blames the night air entirely for what he does next, blames his stupid heart and the rush of adrenaline that shoots through him for what should be _no reason at all_ but what he knows is something far deeper -

Baekhyun's lips taste like honey and strawberries.

  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ARE YOU GUYS SCREAMING
> 
> BECAUSE I WAS ALMOST SCREAMING AS I WROTE THIS
> 
> HAPPY LATE LUNAR YEARS
> 
> ALSO CONGRATS JONGDAE - I'M A MONTH LATE I'M SORRY


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~ The kiss ~ continued
> 
> ChanBaek talk. It's long, it's fluffy, and it's sweet. Jongdae and Sehun make an appearance too.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Chanyeol is wondering if he should be balancing the consequences of his actions.

But being with Baekhyun has always managed to fry whatever brain cells he has, and this time it's so much worse.

He's kissing Baekhyun.

Not a single thought running through Chanyeol's mind is coherent right now. He can't focus on anything but how unbelievably _soft_ Baekhyun's lips are, followed by the faint taste of honey and strawberries from the cake earlier, the aborted gasp that’s caught in Baekhyun’s throat and gets released with a small sigh. For the briefest moment, it feels like forever,and a part of Chanyeol almost wishes it could be. He feels like his heart’s about to thud out of his chest as he moves back, the warmth that Baekhyun’s proximity had given him already replaced by colder air. And reality.

Chanyeol jolts backwards.

 _Fuck_. 

There are times in his life when he has learned that his impulsiveness will do him absolutely no good, and this will probably be the one to seal all the previous instances in the firm casket of his coffin.

Because the full gravity of what he’d done fully is only settling in now, when it’s too late and he’s already _kissed_ Baekhyun, and a part of his brain stutters and stops functioning entirely just at the thought. He kissed Baekhyun. There are so many emotions rushing through him that he can’t even explain them properly; shock and slight fear because he's _kissed the crown prince without permission_ , the disbelief that he’d managed to do it at all, inexplicable delight too, but the biggest one of all is that god he’s so stupid -

He opens his mouth to blurt out a string of panicked, jumbled words and looks up only to have Baekhyun’s fingers pressing against his lips.

“Don’t,” Baekhyun says, and all of Chanyeol's panic and tension drain away at the sound of his voice. It's unlike any other time Chanyeol’s heard it. Light, a little airy, and his floaty mind wonders if he’s actually managed to make Baekhyun shy. The prince ducks his head, other hand gripping onto Chanyeol’s sleeve and Chanyeol is suddenly overwhelmed at how endearing it all is. “Don’t apologize. Don’t regret what you did just now.”

Chanyeol bites his lip. It should be criminal, how good Baekhyun is at making common sense fly out the window, but all he knows now is that he _doesn’t_ regret it, even as his remaining brain cells tell him he probably should.

He settles for loosening Baekhyun's hand from his mouth and reaching for the other as well, holding onto them almost like a lifeline. It's a miracle how his voice is actually steady.

"So does this mean you aren't kicking me out for doing that without asking?"

Chanyeol smiles as Baekhyun huffs in amusement, shaky and small but genuine.

"I won't if you do it again."

When Chanyeol laughs, it's against Baekhyun's lips - still just as soft, just as sweet. Relaxing into it, Chanyeol focuses on other parts of Baekhyun that he hadn’t paid attention to in their last, short kiss - the way Baekhyun's body tilts up to slot into Chanyeol's when he wraps an arm around the prince's waist, how his fingers clutch at the fabric of Chanyeol’s shirt.

This time as they part, he notes with delight that there’s a faint blush on Baekhyun’s cheeks as he holds onto Chanyeol’s elbow, the color blooming softly under shining eyes. It makes Chanyeol feel a little better, that if Baekhyun does have to do something with the other Contestants, at least he’ll be the only one to see this kind of reaction; pink tinges on pale skin and eyes sparkling under the light of the moon.

Eventually Baekhyun lowers his head and laughs softly, taking Chanyeol’s hand and linking their fingers together. “Would it sound stupid if I said I wanted the first to be with you?”

Chanyeol's heart jumps into his throat. He shakes his head, moving closer when Baekhyun tugs on his hand. “No, I,” his voice dies. Baekhyun’s eyes crinkle up at the corners with his smile.

“I'm glad," Chanyeol admits, leaning down to press his forehead against Baekhyun's.

"That you were my first?"

Baekhyun's teasing now, he can tell. Chanyeol frowns and nudges his head. "No, not just that. I just - I’m happy,” he gets out at last, and he sounds a little like he’s finally given in, “And I really, really like you.”

"Yeah?" Baekhyun's laughter is light and giddy and Chanyeol can't help but think back to the first time he'd heard it, pure joy tumbling from Baekhyun's lips brighter than the sun. He would do anything in the world to keep that smile on Baekhyun's face. "I really like you too."

In a while, they’ll have to return to the real world. Chanyeol knows that the cameras Baekhyun had sent away before are waiting just outside the garden doors, on stand by until they walk out to catch the last of their date. He also knows that while he’s heading to bed straight afterwards, Baekhyun will probably be greeted by a pile of work on his desk, late as it is.

One day, maybe Chanyeol can help ease the weight on Baekhyun’s shoulders.

For now, he’s grateful just to keep Baekhyun smiling in his free time.

 

 

“So all of you are almost prepared for the greetings ceremonies, which means that now you’re going to have to direct the planning,” Junmyeon tells them all during their morning meeting, handing out guidelines. Their lessons have taken on a slightly different routine than before - they’ll meet up in the morning all together before separating into groups, spread out in the castle depending on what they need to do. “We’ll need to take your orders for decoration and food by tomorrow morning at the latest so you can have all of this week to prepare. If you’re ready you can come to me earlier, and I’ll help you get started with the organization process.”

Chanyeol supposes that he should be grateful, that Zitao and Seungwoo finally got their heads out of each others’ asses long enough to properly work together. They did end up going with Zitao’s suggestion of traditional music, but Seungwoo’s input on Japan’s popular culture led to different food selections and decorations. All they have to do now is go talk to Junmyeon about it.

He also supposes that he should be grateful for the work they have to do, because it gives him an excuse to avoid the glaring holes Jongdae has been burning into the side of Chanyeol’s head since the morning.

Chanyeol, quite honestly, has no idea if he and Baekhyun were just that obvious, or if Jongdae is even quicker than he’d thought at catching onto things, but ever since the kiss two nights ago, Jongdae’s been stealing glances between the two of them every time he sees them together. Even at mealtimes, which has inevitably led to Sehun looking at all three of them in confusion and slight suspicion.

Which is why, today, it’s come to a boiling point.

For the first half of the day, he’s fine. Chanyeol manages to steer clear of Jongdae while they’re in the classroom organizing the last of their thoughts, later as they eat lunch together in the dining hall, up until evening after all of them have gotten interviewed for some city magazine and his group excuses themselves to go see Junmyeon about the necessary plan proceedings.

Still, Jongdae finds a way around it somehow.

Chanyeol shouldn’t have been surprised.

Coming out of Junmyeon’s office, his group had dispersed now that they had nothing to do. He thinks he remembers Zitao saying something about his beauty sleep, and he knows Joohyun will probably have gone to the castle library. Chanyeol, on the other hand, is going to his room, having time to write a letter back to his family for the first time in weeks.

And right then, because Jongdae is apparently telepathic or omniscient or _something_ \- Chanyeol gets cornered.

“Something happened, didn’t it,” Jongdae narrows his eyes at Chanyeol, backing him into the stairwell. Chanyeol wonders if he could make a run for it. “You think you’re so good at hiding, but it’s written all over your face.”

Chanyeol’s laughter is nervous as he tries to step back from Jongdae. “What do you mean? What happened?”

Jongdae’s stare is flat and unimpressed. “You know what. There’s something between you and Baekhyun these days and I’d be surprised if the entire nation didn’t notice.”

For the briefest second, Chanyeol’s mind blanks. The nation? They wouldn’t really be able to figure it out, would they? He and Baekhyun didn’t mention it at all, anywhere, and the cameras were long gone by the time they’d finished talking and -

Oh fuck.

They kissed.

It’s been two days and Chanyeol still can’t quite wrap his head around it; the fact that they actually kissed, and he wonders if Baekhyun feels similarly. The thought alone makes Chanyeol want to hide himself from the world. Which brings him back to his current predicament - is it really that obvious? Will the public find out somehow?

Jongdae’s nose scrunches up at the increasingly dark shade of Chanyeol’s cheeks. “What, did you have sex?”

Chanyeol splutters. “What the, _no_ , Jongdae -”

“Then what?” Jongdae sounds like his patience is failing him. 

“Nothing!” Chanyeol exclaims, trying to get away, “We did _nothing_ -”

“He’s lying,” a voice drawls behind Chanyeol, and he almost stumbles into Sehun in surprise. Sehun neatly sidesteps him and leaves Chanyeol to catch himself on the railing. “Baekhyun-hyung’s been weird too. Spill.”

“Did you two _plan_ this?” Chanyeol asks almost incredulously, trying to figure out how he can escape them. Sehun shoots him a dry look like he knows exactly what Chanyeol is thinking. Chanyeol wouldn’t be surprised.

He also isn’t really surprised that these two were the first to catch on

Just as Jongdae’s opening his mouth again though, the bells toll for dinner. The disgruntled looks on Sehun and Jongdae’s faces would have been hilarious in any other situation, but Chanyeol’s too relieved in the moment to do anything but sag against the wall and sigh.

“Why do you two care so much, anyway?” Chanyeol looks up, tired already. He wonders if he’ll experience similar hounding from the other Contestants who might have noticed. He sincerely hopes otherwise; Jongdae and Sehun are more than enough.

Sehun glares at Chanyeol at the question, sharper than a knife. “Of course I care, he’s my _brother_.”

Chanyeol frowns. He hadn’t expected Baekhyun to tell Sehun, especially not in detail. He himself hadn’t worked up the courage to tell Jongdae, and he’d been agonizing over whether he should mention it in his letter to his family. But he also hadn’t expected Baekhyun to keep everything from his younger brother, at least to the point where Sehun is aggravated enough to snap at him. This isn’t the kind of concern that friends or family members have in normal circumstances. Jongdae and Sehun seem - anxious.

A vague inkling comes to mind and Chanyeol’s eyes widen in recognition and understanding.

“You,” he turns to Sehun, who’s still scowling, “You think we fought, don’t you.”

After all, there’s only been one other time he and Baekhyun started acting strangely around each other. Chanyeol can’t even blame them for jumping to that conclusion.

“What,” Sehun clicks his tongue when Chanyeol lets out a relieved laugh. “Well, did you?”

Shaking his head, Chanyeol tones down his amusement.

“No, we didn’t have a fight, I promise,” he says, smiling when both Jongdae and Sehun seem to relax visibly. But Chanyeol can also see the questions forming on their tongues and he hooks an arm through each of theirs, dragging them down the halls before they can start asking. “Come on, we’re already a few minutes late for dinner.”

They let him, without too much whining.

“Park Chanyeol, just let me be clear you’re _not_ off the hook -”

“I help keep your brother happy and you’re really going to lecture me now?”

And just before they reach the dining hall, Jongdae squeezes Chanyeol’s hand.

“I don’t know what happened, but I’m going to assume you made good on your promise.”

It doesn’t take much thinking for Chanyeol to remember what it was.

_I’ll try._

He smiles at Jongdae, happy and hopeful, for once.

“I did.”

 

 

The next time Chanyeol gets an evening with Baekhyun, the prince is late.

Not by much - they’d agreed to meet in Baekhyun’s library at nine, and it’s only a few minutes past. But Chanyeol finds himself worrying a little anyway.

He knows Baekhyun has assured him before that spending time with him is another way he can relax, but he also knows that Baekhyun is never completely honest about his workload and how tired he is. Despite being so willing to open up with his emotions since their argument a month ago, he still seems to hate being the source of Chanyeol’s concern, especially with his physical state. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked to meet tonight.

He’s so busy worrying about Baekhyun that he doesn’t hear the first few times said prince calls for him, barely registering the voice saying his name.

“Chanyeol?” Closer now, but Chanyeol doesn’t get to turn his head or respond before he glances up, only to be met with a small kiss to his forehead, long fingers brushing back the hair falling into his eyes. Baekhyun settles down on the opposite side of the desk, looking at Chanyeol thoughtfully as Chanyeol reaches up to touch the place Baekhyun had kissed in almost absentminded surprise.

“Sorry I’m a bit late, I had a meeting with Kyungsoo and I didn’t notice the time.” Baekhyun says, “But are you okay? I called for you three times and you didn’t notice.”

“Oh. It’s fine.” Chanyeol lowers his hand. “And sorry, just a lot of stuff I was thinking about.”

Baekhyun frowns. “The parties?”

Chanyeol blinks in surprise. Well, no, but he’s grateful for the topic opening. He’ll ask Baekhyun whether he’s really alright in a bit. He shrugs. “We’re starting to gather the decorations and food, so I need to figure out how to ask for the music accompaniment. Zitao and Seungwoo aren’t arguing anymore though, so it’s a little easier.”

“I keep telling you that you shouldn’t be so stressed,” Baekhyun says. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Chanyeol hums, but something about his voice must have been off because Baekhyun’s brows furrow in worry.

“You look really tired,” Baekhyun says. “I’m supposed to be the workaholic between us, remember?”

“I’m fine,” Chanyeol assures him, “Really. It’s just a few more days, and then preparations are going to be over.”

Baekhyun only makes a small noise in response, and Chanyeol takes in his ever so slightly slumped form and the bags under his eyes that makeup hadn’t been able to cover, realizing with a pang that he’d been right in assuming that Baekhyun is also tired, probably exhausted with all the meetings organization  he’d had to do as host of the parties. But there’s a different type of stress lining his features that isn’t just coming from fatigue.

“Are you alright?” Chanyeol prods gently. Baekhyun glances up at him in surprise, then huffs out a laugh and looks to the side.

“You really see through me easily,” Baekhyun mutters. Chanyeol waits. Eventually Baekhyun sighs.

“Minseok is coming in a few days,” the prince says quietly, wringing his long fingers together. “Luhan, of course, will be accompanying him.”

Chanyeol’s brows raise. “Are you worried for Jongdae?”

Baekhyun huffs. “When am I not is the better question.” He looks away, running his hand down his face. “I wish he wouldn’t shackle himself to what his family expects of him. If he’d told them of his relationship with Minseok, things might have turned out differently.”

Chanyeol frowns, lifting his head from his arms to look up at Baekhyun. “Were they ever…” he trails off, letting the silence ask his question.

“No,” Baekhyun shakes his head. “Not really. But you’ve seen how much they cherish each other.”

Chanyeol nods. Because he has. The pain and conflict in their eyes during the ball two weeks ago was enough proof of how they feel for each other, even if it was hidden under a mask of restraint and polite formalities. 

For a while, they’re quiet. The reminder of Minseok and Jongdae’s seemingly impossible situation is always a somber one, for Baekhyun especially since Minseok is such a dear friend of his, whose happiness is clearly at the forefront of Baekhyun’s mind. But this is politics, business, and more than that it’s a chess game of royals and elites, where every move is strategic, carefully routed in order to be the most advantageous for the player.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Chanyeol offers, when neither of them speak up for a few minutes. Baekhyun tilts his head at him.

“Like what?”

“Uh -” Chanyeol flounders. He’d thrown that out as a subject change on a whim, but now that the attention is on him he has no idea what to say. “You’re supposed to take that as an opening,” he complains instead, tempted almost to pout when Baekhyun laughs at him. 

“I don’t have much going on right now,” Baekhyun says, leaning his head against the wall. “Unless you want to hear about boring statistics and political strategies. You could just talk.”

“About what?” Chanyeol parrots. Baekhyun chuckles.

“Anything.” Baekhyun’s eyes are soft when he opens them again, and Chanyeol swallows with how - how gentle they are aimed at him. Ever since the kiss, it’s as if all his feelings have been heightened. The slightest glance, the simplest touch, the smallest interaction can send his heart into overdrive. “I like hearing you talk. Especially when you get passionate about something. You light up when you talk about the things you love - music, your family, your dogs. And I like your voice.”

Well - now that Baekhyun’s said that, Chanyeol doesn’t think he’ll be able to even open his mouth. He can feel his cheeks flushing and he rubs a hand over his face, trying to will the blush down. If Baekhyun’s laughter is any indication, it’s barely working. 

“Or you could ask me something,” Baekhyun says, still smiling in amusement, adding, “anything.”

Reluctantly, Chanyeol peels his hands away from his face and frowns, mulling it over. Ask, ask Baekhyun? Ask what, exactly? Baekhyun may have hidden his emotions from him towards the beginning of the Selection, but he’d never _lied_ to Chanyeol about anything - barring his workload. There’s nothing Chanyeol hadn’t already questioned Baekhyun about that he hasn’t gotten a truthful answer to. There’s nothing Chanyeol’s kept himself from asking Baekhyun about either, because he’d never found it necessary to hold back when it came to the prince. 

Oh, Chanyeol blinks as he remembers something, except one thing, he supposes. He’d asked a similar question to Minseok, but for some reason never thought to bring up with Baekhyun. He’s never asked this question, because -

Baekhyun must see the lightbulb go off, because he smiles. “Something come to mind?”

Chanyeol opens his mouth and hesitates, knowing how Baekhyun would react to this question. He’s about to tell Baekhyun it’s nothing, but he hears himself say the words before he can get a hold on his tongue -

“Why me?” 

\- And immediately regrets it when Baekhyun blinks in confusion. _Shit_.

He knows how Baekhyun feels about Chanyeol’s social standing and insecurities, he _knows_ that Baekhyun has never wished for anything but that Chanyeol would treat him as an equal. Fuck, he really needs a filter on his mouth -

“What?”

“Nothing,” Chanyeol tries to backtrack, but Baekhyun is frowning now, concern lining his brow, “Nevermind -”

“Are you insulting my taste in men, Park Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asks, face blank. It’s honestly scarier than if he’d been disappointed.

Chanyeol winces. “No, I just - I’m sorry?” He looks away so he doesn’t have to see the way Baekhyun’s expression shutters. “I didn’t mean to -”

“You have a habit of doing that,” Baekhyun cuts him off, something heavy in his gaze. It’s not disappointment, or, at the very least, it’s not disappointment aimed at Chanyeol, but it drapes over Baekhyun’s shoulders and droops them down like a dark, thick blanket. “You always seem to think your value doesn’t match up to some of the others here in the Selection. I’m pretty sure in the beginning, you thought you would never last that long here anyway, right?” Baekhyun narrows his eyes when Chanyeol’s widen. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“You can’t blame me for doubting that I’d be able to stay,” Chanyeol manages at last. “I was no one.”

Baekhyun huffs. “I _can_ blame you for still thinking that way when I’ve made it clear that I want you here.”

“Well it’s not like -”

“You’re you,” Baekhyun says quietly. Any retort Chanyeol may have had is lost with those two words, and whatever remaining thoughts in his brain are scattered when Baekhyun takes his hand to link their fingers together. “You said it yourself in the interview a while ago. I kept you here for you as a person. You seem to have faith that I’ll choose someone I like, but then you don’t have enough confidence in yourself to believe I’m making the right decision when that someone is you.”

Chanyeol looks down at their hands.

In a way, he feels almost - _needy_. He’s always liked attention; when he was younger he’d always look for kids to hang out with so he wouldn’t feel lonely, clung to his sister whenever she was around. But this kind of attention is intoxicating, new and it takes his breath away every time he’s the subject of Baekhyun’s affections. He’s never had this before.

Is this too much?

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun prompts gently, fingers hooking under Chanyeol’s chin to get him to look up. “I like you. You’re honest to a fault. Kind. Passionate about the things you love, always looking out for the people around you and helping others whether you like them or not, no matter who they are. You care about everything so much and care about _me_ , in a way no one has before.” Baekhyun shrugs, looking down briefly. “I like how talented you are, how thoughtful you are. I like you a lot. Do I need a reason to?”

He says it in such a matter-of-fact tone, laying down all the points like he would to win an argument. So - _blunt_ , absolutely unwavering in the way he views Chanyeol. It’s both flattering and mildly terrifying.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol says, quietly. 

Baekhyun lets out a slow breath. “Don’t apologize. This isn’t something to feel bad about. I just don’t want you thinking that you don’t deserve this.”

Chanyeol looks up at Baekhyun helplessly. “How do you always know what to say?” He asks, “I’m really starting to question whether you had a relationship before.”

It finally loosens Baekhyun’s expression, drawing a laugh from him. Loud and beautiful.

"I might not be any good in the actual romance department, but I have a lifetime of experience in observing people." Baekhyun pauses. "With you, I think honesty and communication are always your priorities. You like emotional openness, and I’m still not used to talking about myself that way. So I'm trying to be better for you."

"You're not the reason I have these insecurities,” Chanyeol says, frowning. If anything, he should be the one trying to be better for Baekhyun. “I’ve just been getting things in my head that I shouldn’t. Especially without talking to you about it.”

Baekhyun hesitates, looking for the right words. “Work in progress, then,” he compromises, “We’ll get better together.”

With anyone else, Chanyeol might have thought it ridiculously cheesy, a one-liner said without much thought or intent. But with Baekhyun, he knows that the prince is being absolutely sincere. He truly means to get better, work harder at this - relationship? Whatever this is - and Chanyeol is way too weak for it.

Without another word, he gets up, using their linked hands to pull himself towards Baekhyun. The prince only looks up curiously, smile widening when Chanyeol plops down on the seat right next to him and drops his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“Is this okay?” Chanyeol asks, muffled into the sweater Baekhyun is wearing. The shoulder under his cheek shakes with Baekhyun’s laugh.

“This isn’t good for my heart,” Baekhyun says, his voice so fond that Chanyeol has to swallow a sudden burst of emotion. “Are you always so cute when you’re tired?”

Chanyeol slings his free arm around Baekhyun’s waist loosely, tugging him just a little closer and breathing him in. Baekhyun always smells vaguely sweet, a faint mix of some kind of fruit and maybe flowers. Not too overwhelming, just an underlying scent. It lets him relax, breathing out softly into the fabric.

“It’s worse the more exhausted I am,” Chanyeol mumbles, “you haven’t seen a fraction of how clingy I can be.”

Baekhyun is quiet for a second. “You do know,” he starts, then stops, “You can come to me, if you’d like. This isn’t a one-way thing where I can go to you whenever I want but not vice versa. And it can be for anything.”

Chanyeol looks up blearily. “You might regret that when I just hug you for half an hour straight.”

A soft laugh, and then Baekhyun’s hand comes up to gently bring Chanyeol’s head back down on his shoulder, fingers playing with the hair on his nape. “I’m sure I wouldn’t mind.”

Neither of them speak for a while. The silence is comfortable, welcomed, even, and Chanyeol is grateful that he gets to bask in this moment like this - get to simply _be_ , with Baekhyun. At least until he almost nods off.

“Has anyone told you your shoulder is really comfortable?” Chanyeol asks, words slightly slurred, “I feel like I’m going to fall asleep. I almost did, just now.”

Baekhyun chuckles. “Haven’t heard that one before, I’ll admit. Do you want me to walk you back to your room? It’s getting a bit late anyway.”

Chanyeol shakes his head. “Just a little more,” he says, but it comes out as little more than a breathy exhale. “Can you talk? About whatever you’d like.”

Baekhyun hums, contemplative. Just as Chanyeol almost slips into unconsciousness again, he speaks. “I haven’t told you yet when I figured out I liked you, right?”

Chanyeol makes some noise of affirmation as a response, arms tightening around Baekhyun slightly. Baekhyun’s laugh is a huff of air against his head. 

“I think I realized I liked you around a month ago,” Baekhyun says, voice turning fond, “when I was avoiding all of you like the plague.” He snorts softly. “It was stupid, thinking I could run from my feelings by not giving them a name. But when I realized how close I’d gotten to you, in such a short amount of time, I was terrified."

Slowly, Baekhyun starts carding his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair, messing up the dark curls and gently circling over his scalp. The motion would have soothed Chanyeol straight to sleep if he wasn’t fighting the exhaustion to stay awake, hanging onto Baekhyun’s every word.

"Even with Luhan, who I knew since I met Minseok, it wasn’t until we were in high school that I was truly able to trust him. But you - it took six weeks. I’ve said this before, but,” Baekhyun is smiling now, Chanyeol can tell, even without looking at him, and his fingers pause in their soft movements through Chanyeol’s hair, “You read me so _easily_. It was so scary. I’m supposed to be the perfect crown prince, always put-together, always composed, yet you could see through me with a single glance and tell something was wrong.”

Baekhyun chuckles softly. “But it got worse when I tried to ignore you. I missed talking to you so much. More than my fear that you would see my weaknesses, I realized I hated being apart from you. It’d become such a - habit, to just go to you whenever I needed to let something out, whenever something happened, whenever I just wanted company. At one point it got so bad my father asked me if I was neglecting the other contestants.”

Baekhyun inhales shakily. Chanyeol had been smiling at the comment of Baekhyun’s father, but he can’t help but frown at how nervous this one breath feels, quivering and unsure coming from the prince’s lips. 

“A part of me was scared because I knew that in the beginning, you weren’t here for a relationship,” Baekhyun says quietly, a soft confession, “for _me_. I read people well, sure, but I didn’t want to assume too much, and I was afraid I was much too attached to you at that point to have been able to bear it if you wanted to leave.”

It’s all said in a timid tone, almost afraid of the reaction to the words. Chanyeol’s heart squeezes. He still remembers the day Sehun had, quite insistently, forced Chanyeol to re-evaluate his purpose for being in the Selection in the first place. It had taken Sehun’s anxiety over his brother’s heart for Chanyeol to really realize - he hadn’t stayed for the money, for the fame, for the societal raise, not since the first week. He’d stayed for _Baekhyun_ , and he only needed to make that clear to the prince.

Raising his head, Chanyeol waits until Baekhyun meets his eyes, smiling slightly at the faint blush.

“You know I’m here for you now, though?” Chanyeol asks, because he knows Baekhyun knows that Chanyeol cares for him, but this is something Chanyeol needs him to be completely sure of. “I’ve only cared about staying here for you since the end of the first week. I should have made it clearer earlier.”

“I do know. You’re very expressive, even if you don’t put your emotions into words too often,” Baekhyun smiles at Chanyeol’s flush, “but it’s still nice to hear.”

The last of his words fade as Baekhyun’s eyes widen, and whatever stupor Chanyeol had fallen into is broken when he realizes exactly how close they are. Around four centimeters. Close enough to count Baekhyun’s lashes, close enough to see the mole right above his lip, close enough to see himself in Baekhyun’s eyes.

Neither of them are pulling back yet. Chanyeol doesn’t want to, and it seems Baekhyun doesn’t either.

“Can I -”

“Do you -”

They start and stop at the same time, surprise sinking in before they burst into small giggles. Chanyeol feels a little like an elementary school kid, giddy at the smallest things, getting shy over just this space between them, but Baekhyun tends to have that effect on him.

“You go first,” Baekhyun says, when Chanyeol hides his face into his neck as he laughs. Chanyeol pulls back but doesn’t go too far, and he notes almost as an afterthought, fighting down a smile, that Baekhyun’s hand is still in his hair.

“Can I kiss you?” Chanyeol asks, lifting their linked hands and nudging their foreheads together. Baekhyun laughs quietly at the touch. “I didn’t ask last time. Wanted to fix that.”

Baekhyun’s eyes are happy little moons. “You don’t have to ask every time now,” Baekhyun whispers, and pulls Chanyeol in against him.

If the kiss last time was hurried, chaste in their embarrassment, this one is anything but. It’s slow, peaceful and leisurely. Like they have all the time in the world. And, Chanyeol supposes, maybe it’s not so bad to pretend, in this room in their own little bubble. They can stand to ignore the outside world for a while.

When they separate, Baekhyun’s cheeks are tinged pink, and Chanyeol knows he’s not much better. It takes him a solid ten seconds to get himself together, blinking slowly and taking in the sight of a kiss-ruffled Baekhyun, a light haze in his eyes, pale skin flushed, lips red. Beautiful, as always. It never fails to remind Chanyeol how lucky he is, that he gets to see the different sides of the crown prince. Each one of them as beautiful and precious as Baekhyun in his entirety.

“Are you done doubting my choices now?” Baekhyun asks. His hand cups Chanyeol’s nape in a gentle grasp - comforting, assuring, _protective_. It’s all Chanyeol can do to keep his wits about him enough to remember how this conversation had even started, what Baekhyun is asking.

He works his tongue around the daze. “Yeah.” 

"Good," Baekhyun says. His smile goes wicked. "And really, you have no right to get so insecure after stealing my first kiss."

Chanyeol is suddenly very, very glad he doesn't have anything in his mouth. Coughing, he looks up at Baekhyun only to be met with laughter.

“ _Baekhyun_ ,” he protests, to no avail. “You’re the one who brought it up, knowing I’d get jealous.”

“I’d been hoping, but I had no idea you’d be _that_ upset,” Baekhyun defends himself, but he’s still laughing.

“Of course I’d be that upset, you were talking so nonchalantly about being affectionate with the others and - oh _Baekhyun_ stop laughing at me -”

It takes a while for Baekhyun to quiet, taking absolutely no pity on Chanyeol’s embarrassment. “What about you?” He asks, when he finally stops chuckling. Chanyeol halts his attempts to glare at the prince.

“What about me?”

“You must have had some moment where you realized you liked me,” Baekhyun says, tilting his head. “Unless you kissed me on a whim.”

Well, it was on a whim, because Baekhyun wouldn’t shut up about cameras and kisses and at that point Chanyeol thinks his brain was too fried to process anything except his jealousy and irrational need to kiss Baekhyun, away from said cameras and prying eyes. As if being Baekhyun’s first would tame the spark of possessiveness that crawls up to suffocate his lungs whenever Chanyeol remembers - this is a _Selection_. He’s not the only one Baekhyun goes on dates with, he’s not the only one Baekhyun pays attention to, he’s not the only person here.

And god, he wishes he was the only one with Baekhyun. Even admitting that in his own head is terrifying. He’d known, of course, that he liked Baekhyun, but it’s scary now that he’s starting to realize just to what _extent_ his feelings truly run. Like a dam had been opened, giving him new possibilities and maybe even daring to hope for a future where he can be this close to Baekhyun. It’s just, it’s all so _new_.

Still - 

“Not on a whim, I promise,” Chanyeol says. He might be dumb and terrible at keeping in touch with his emotions, but he’s not dumb enough to not recognize the affection and endearment he feels merely by looking at Baekhyun.

Yet, at the same time, Chanyeol realizes that he can’t really pinpoint a moment he started to like the prince. His time with Baekhyun always seems like a whirlwind the more he looks back on it.

Maybe it was that first night in the castle, when Baekhyun had held him with gentle arms and soothed Chanyeol with all the kindness he thought wasn’t possible for a royal. Maybe it was the morning of their first televised episode, when they bet on whether or not Yoora would cry over the strawberry tarts and Chanyeol got to see Baekhyun laugh so happily, carefree and delighted with the simple exchange. Maybe it was that time in the balcony of the glass tower, the backdrop of the sunset lighting Baekhyun up with golden hues and a soft glow. Maybe it was during their fight, maybe it was when he first heard Baekhyun sing, maybe it was during the rebel attack, seeing that steely, defensive glint in Baekhyun’s eyes.

Chanyeol huffs out, almost disbelieving. Jongdae’s right, Chanyeol really is lucky Baekhyun is as oblivious as him. He can’t believe it took him that long to figure it out and recognize his feelings for what they were.

But he does have a few memories that stand out specifically.

“I accepted my feelings for you when I gave you the necklace from Minseok. But I think it started a long time before that.” Chanyeol leans down again, resting his forehead against Baekhyun’s shoulder. “That time you asked me to help you, on the balcony. I saw you laughing, and I just, I thought about how much I’d miss your smile when I got kicked out.”

Baekhyun nudges their knees together pointedly. Chanyeol chuckles.

“If,” he corrects. “ _If_ I got kicked out. I realized I needed to work for my place here. I didn’t want to go back and have to see the dull smile on newspapers and press conferences. It was the first time I let myself want to stay. For you.”

The words make Baekhyun jolt slightly in surprise, turning his head to face Chanyeol. His eyes are wide, cheeks a little pink. “I - That was when I avoided you for two weeks right afterwards!”

Chanyeol snorts. “I know.”

He laughs when the prince groans, letting go of Chanyeol’s hand to bury his face in his arms. “What terrible timing,” Baekhyun muffles into them.

“It’s fine though,” Chanyeol smiles, reaching out to take Baekhyun’s hand from his face. “I like the way things turned out. I got to know you better through that entire ordeal. I’d say it was worth it.”

After a moment, Baekhyun relaxes against him, almost resigned. But Chanyeol can hear the smile in his voice. “Then I guess I can’t complain.”

Chanyeol laughs again and Baekhyun looks at him in exasperation, softened by the soft smile on his lips. It’s Chanyeol’s favorite, the smile that’s expressed more by Baekhyun’s eyes than his lips, quiet fondness and adoration laced into every line of happiness on his face. 

Beautiful.

He might have been waxing poetry about Baekhyun’s smile in the high of their post-kiss haze a few nights ago, but truth be told, even now, completely sober and his head clear - well, as clear as it can be around Baekhyun - the sentiment holds true. He’d do absolutely anything to keep that smile on Baekhyun’s face, and it’s all the more better that this smile is because of him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I know that a lot of you kind of freaked out over the kiss last chapter, but I truly think that this one is my favorite so far. This is the longest that ChanBaek have ever really, really talked with each other, after admitting their feelings for one another. It's sweet, and pure, and they're both so comfortable with each other that it was so easy for me to write despite being one of the longest scenes I've written for this fic.
> 
> I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter, because I really, really really enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Also!!!!!!! Stay safe!!!! be careful out there!!!! stay in self-isolation for the safety of those around you who might be immunocompromised, and please please please use masks if you need to go out.
> 
>  
> 
> ps. get ready for junmyeon's solo!!!!!!


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